25-06-2015
Ismail Al-Khalili cries in front of the Al Shifa hospital morgue after the loss of his two brothers, Ashraf and Ahmed, and their families, who were killed earlier in the day. A total of eight persons were killed including two women and three children.
Ismail (20) and Ibrahim (18) – brothers of Ashraf and Ahmed - stand in the midst of the destroyed family's factory. The business was started by their father 15 years ago and provided income for the whole family.
Ismail stands in the area where 8 members of his family were killed. The two families of Ashraf and Ahmad were the only ones left the house, and were waiting in front of their home in the garden when there was a direct attack on them.
Photos of seven of the 8 members of the Al Khalili family killed. Ziyad’s photo is not available.
Ahmed and Aya's bedroom. Ahmed and Ashraf were working in the family's factory.
Mahmoud's cupboard. Mahmoud survived the attack and was conscious when he arrived at the hospital, but fell into a coma and died on 4 August 2014 in Egypt.
A photo of Ziyad (3) on a mobile phone.
Ismail describes his nephews and nieces: “Mahmoud was very active, very clever. Lama liked to laugh, she liked people. Deema was so energetic. And Ziad was so little, only 3.”
On the laptop, the Al Khalili's have video footage of a big fire which erupted after the attack. The factory was entirely burned and their home damaged. Ismail explains, “We cannot stay here and are looking for another place but this is difficult. The psychological state is terrible for the whole family. I can't continue my studying, and I am looking to go to Germany.”
At approximately 9:00 am on Wednesday 30 July 2014, Israeli tanks fired two artillery shells at the house of Mohammed A’ta Al Khalili that is located in Al Sanafour area in At-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City. One of the shells fell on a group of the family members while they were waiting to be evacuated. As a result, eight people were killed, including two women and three children; and a fire broke out. Al Mezan identified the names of people killed as follows: