The Day Israel Tried to Kill Me
This is the story of the day Israel almost killed me in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.
Deir al-Balah, Gaza, moments after Israeli forces bombed the Shoomer family home on March 25, 2025. Photo credit: Khaled Al-Qershali
I’ll never forget March 25, 2025. My family was renting an apartment in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. I woke up and went to the closest market, a two-hour walk. Every day I walk at least two hours in search of food. That day, I bought one kilogram of eggplant, which used to cost $2 but now cost $7. I could not buy onions or potatoes since, according to the seller, “they are nonexistent in the Gaza Strip because of the blockade.”
It was only a month ago, on March 2, that Israel declared its intention to starve us to death, imposing a total blockade once again. It was only two weeks ago, on March 18, when the Israeli army resumed bombing Gaza, killing more than 400 Palestinians in a single day and hundreds more since.
Not long after I returned home, my brother Omar came screaming. The Israeli army called the Shoomer family and told them to leave the house immediately. The army said the house would be bombed in 30 seconds even though it was a house full of civilians.
And since we were staying in an apartment just meters away from Shoomer's house, we also needed to leave immediately. “People are running to the school and we also need to shelter there. Let's go!”
A school in Deir al-Balah, transformed into a refugee camp providing shelter to displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, March 25, 2025. Photo credit: Khaled Al-Qershali
Schools in Gaza have become places of refuge even though Israel has directly hit or damaged 96% of all school buildings across the Gaza Strip, according to a September 2024 report by OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
My young sister started crying. I put my grandfather Ahmed, 78, in his wheelchair and rushed towards the school, about 30 metres away. My mother and grandmother ran beside me carrying my young sister, while my father and brother Omar grabbed whatever they could. All I had was my phone in my pocket.
Then, just a few minutes later, at 3:08 PM, I heard the deafening sound of an Israeli F16 death machine overhead and an explosion. I rushed with the neighbours to see what happened. The Israeli army bombed the Shoomer family's home, completely destroying the two-story building. The smell of gunpowder and lead filled the air, while the smoke, debris and dust made it difficult to see.
Remains of the Shoomer family home, after an Israeli strike destroyed the building on Mach 25, 2025, Photo credit: Khaled Al-Qershali
The Shoomers lost their home that day, but they weren’t the only ones.
Hosam Shallah’s home, next door, was also partially destroyed. Hazem Shallah’s home, about fifty meters away from Shoomer’s house, was also damaged, with glass shattering over Amar, Hazem's eldest son. “The Israeli army described this [Deir al-Balah] as a safe zone,” Hazem said. “But there have been no safe zones during the war.”
The apartment my family was renting was partially damaged as well, with doors and windows shattered.
The kindergarten in front of Shoomer’s house had already been forced to shut its doors due to the war, but it was also significantly damaged in the Israeli strike. It was more than just a playground and swings to keep my sister and the other children preoccupied. It was a place of beautiful memories and relief, a place to alleviate the distress of the daily horrors. Now it’s destroyed too.
Those sheltering at the school welcomed the Shoomer family. It was already overcrowded, but they made space anyway.
After the strike, we spoke with Omar Abd-Aldayem, 50, displaced from Beit Hanoon in October 2023, and living near the Shoomer’s destroyed home. Omar used to drive a bus before the war, but Israel’s blockade has prevented fuel from entering the Strip. “I can't provide food for my family.”
“The situation in Gaza has worsened as the Israeli occupation violates the ceasefire,” Omar Abd-Aldayem said. “We only live on the aid I receive, and I haven't received any for a month now,” he said. “It’s extremely dire.”
The Shoomers have nothing left to return to. The destroyed kindergarten and playground meant everything to my sister. Israel is destroying not just walls, ceilings, and concrete, they are destroying our memories and our hope for a better future.
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