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Civil Defense Officer Khamees Al-Ashram Suffers from Trauma of Finding his Son Among Victims.
The Palestinian Civil Defense Officer Khamees Al-Ashram could never have imagined facing the most harrowing moment of his life, which is discovering that one of the martyrs he was pulling from beneath the rubble was his son, Wissam, whose upcoming wedding they had been eagerly anticipating.
In the early weeks of the Israeli genocide against the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, Al-Ashram confronted an unimaginable ordeal.
A man who had dedicated his life to saving others found himself rescuing the body of his son from beneath the ruins.
Al-Ashram says: “I was working with my colleagues in the field when we arrived at the site of the bombing on Al-Maghrabi Street in Gaza City. We began retrieving the bodies, and suddenly, I discovered that one of the martyrs was my son, Wissam.”
With a voice filled with bitterness, he added, “The shock was overwhelming. My son was among the martyrs whose bodies were torn apart by the shells.”
Al-Ashram transported his son’s body to Al-Shifa Hospital, which was later destroyed in an Israeli bombing. He prayed over him alongside his colleagues before laying him to rest.
Despite the pain, he had no time to grieve and quickly returned to the field to save more lives.
Memories Before the War
After completing the mission, Al-Ashram returned to his workplace, where memories came flooding back. He recalls: “I had arranged Wissam’s engagement, and we had started preparing his apartment for the wedding, but the war forced us to postpone everything.”
He continues, “I never imagined I would face this shock. Wissam dreamed of life, but the war took everything from him.”
Al-Ashram remembers the moments he spent with his son on brief outings before the war, not knowing those would be their last shared memories.
Difficult Tasks in the Heart of Tragedy
Al-Ashram and his colleagues face near-impossible missions daily.
He recalls one mission in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood, south of Gaza, where the bombing destroyed numerous homes.
He says: “When we entered one of the houses, we found four children completely burned. We could do nothing but cry and pray for them.”
In another mission in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza, the Israeli occupation forces destroyed an entire residential block.
Al-Ashram describes the scene: “We were pulling out body parts without knowing who they belonged to. Hundreds of wounded and martyrs were everywhere, with smoke filling the sky. But we kept working.”
Colleague killed and Lives saved
In another incident, while Al-Ashram and his team were heading to the Sabra neighborhood to rescue the Ghaboun family, they heard the cries of a woman trapped under the rubble.
He recounts: “My colleague, Ali Omar, approached, carrying basic tools because our equipment had been destroyed. But Israeli warplanes fired a missile at us.”
Ali was martyred instantly, and five of our colleagues were severely injured.
Despite the losses, Al-Ashram and his team continue their work. He says: “Our lives are at risk every moment, but we cannot stop. Every passing minute could mean the difference between saving a life or losing one.”
A Call for International Protection
In the absence of international protection, civil defense teams face enormous risks.
Al-Ashram says: “We urgently need international protection. Our equipment has been destroyed, and we rely on primitive tools. Support is essential for the continuation of our humanitarian mission.”
Despite the pain and loss, Al-Ashram and his colleagues remain determined to carry on.
He says: “If we stop, it means the war has succeeded in breaking our spirit. But we will keep working, and we will continue to believe that there is hope, even in the worst circumstances.”
Days of Palestine