Palestinian Civil Defense Officer Khamees Al-Ashram experienced the unimaginable when he discovered that the body of his son, Wissam, was among those pulled from the rubble in Gaza. His son, whom he had been preparing for an eagerly anticipated wedding, had become one of the martyrs in the brutal Israeli assault that began on October 7, 2023.
Al-Ashram, who dedicated his life to saving others, now found himself in the heartbreaking position of retrieving his own son's body from beneath the wreckage. "I was working with my colleagues 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," he recounted with a voice filled with sorrow.
The grief was overwhelming, but Al-Ashram had no time to mourn. Despite the pain, he continued his mission, carrying his son’s body to Al-Shifa Hospital, which would later be destroyed in an Israeli bombing. "The war took everything from him," Al-Ashram lamented, recalling the dreams Wissam had of a life that would never come to be.
Every day, Al-Ashram and his team face unspeakable tragedies as they rescue survivors from the destruction wrought by Israeli airstrikes. "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," he shared, underscoring the relentless nature of their mission despite the horror they encountered.
Al-Ashram's resilience is tested even further as his team endures losses of their own. In one instance, his colleague Ali Omar was martyred in an Israeli missile strike while attempting to rescue a family. Despite the constant danger, Al-Ashram and his team continue their work, determined to save lives even in the face of their own immense loss.
"We urgently need international protection," Al-Ashram said, highlighting the grave risks faced by civil defense teams without adequate support. "Our equipment has been destroyed, and we rely on primitive tools. Support is essential for the continuation of our humanitarian mission."
Al-Ashram's unwavering determination serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit, even in the most tragic of circumstances. Despite his personal loss, he remains resolute in his commitment to saving others, refusing to let the war break his spirit.
Source : Safa News