SAFA — When Nader Abdul Karim Saadiya and his family were displaced to a rented home in Khirbet al-Adas in Rafah, southern Gaza, they believed their stay would be temporary. But on March 27, 2024, an Israeli attack on the house killed Nader and 12 other members of his family, including his parents, brother, son and brother-in-law.
Nader was 39. His death left a profound void in a family that had relied on him for years. His brother Mohammed described him simply as “everything to everyone.”
“He Was Older Than His Years”
Nader was the second of five children—three sons and two daughters. Mohammed told Felesteen newspaper that his brother showed a strong sense of responsibility from an early age, becoming someone their father trusted and depended upon.
“From a young age, Nader was cheerful and had a distinctive personality. He was responsible, which made him seem older than his years,” Mohammed said. “My father relied on him greatly, considered him his right-hand man and trusted him with everything.”
That sense of responsibility remained with Nader as he grew older. Family members regularly sought his advice on decisions large and small, while he remained particularly close to his parents.
“Everyone turned to him over any matter or decision,” Mohammed said. “We would consult him and ask for his opinion.”
Working and Studying From an Early Age
Nader began working while still in secondary school, not because his family was struggling financially, his brother said, but because he wanted to be independent.
“He was ambitious and liked to rely on himself rather than ask anyone for anything,” Mohammed recalled.
Nader later worked as an aluminium technician for a private company while studying management at Al-Quds Open University, whose flexible system allowed him to combine work and education.
A Career in Security and Policing
Nader later joined the Internal Security Service, where he worked for eight years, before moving to Military Intelligence and eventually the Civil Police. He served in the Police Operations Department at the Zeitoun Police Station.
“Nader was committed and conscientious, and he loved order,” Mohammed said. “To him, work was both a responsibility and a trust.”
His brother said Nader also used his position to help others whenever possible, including detainees and their families.
After his family was displaced on October 13, 2023, Nader continued travelling between southern Gaza and Gaza City to report for work until the route became inaccessible.
“He used to travel back and forth every day from the south to Gaza City for his job,” Mohammed said.
Even during displacement, Nader remained focused on his parents, calling them whenever he could not reach them in person to make sure they were safe.
The Last Memory
On the 18th day of Ramadan in 2024, Nader sat outside the house where his family had sought refuge in Rafah, joking and talking with people passing by.
It became one of Mohammed’s final memories of his brother.
Later that day, an Israeli attack struck the house, killing Nader and 12 members of his family.
For Mohammed, the attack took not only a brother but the person around whom much of the family’s life had revolved.
“Nader was the person we turned to for everything,” he said. “We sought his opinion, and he was present in every decision we made. With his absence, we lost someone who played a major role in our family. We lost a pillar we depended on.”
Nader was killed alongside his son, Abdul Karim. He left behind two daughters and the memory of a father, brother and son whose family had looked to him for guidance until their journey of displacement ended in tragedy.
