29.11.2025 15:42
As a result of the attacks carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Reda Alouwa, who lost 5 sons, had to take care of his 36 grandchildren.
Since the attacks carried out by Israel on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, many children have been left orphaned and without parents.
Reda Alouwa, an elderly Palestinian woman living in a tent near her bombed house in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza, has had to take care of her 36 grandchildren after the Israeli army killed her 5 sons. Alouwa said, "Before the genocide that killed us, tore us apart, and forced us to flee, I was living happily and peacefully in my house in the Shujaiya neighborhood. My son Muhammad died two months after the war started. At that moment, I felt completely shattered. I could do nothing but scream, 'Oh God, help me.' We mourned for 3 days. On the fourth day, the whole family gathered to comfort each other for Muhammad's death. Suddenly, the Israeli army bombed the house. I lost consciousness and felt nothing. After being in a coma for 6 days, when I woke up in the hospital, I learned that my other 4 sons, two daughters, and one grandchild had died in the Israeli airstrike. The rest were severely injured. I still can't believe they are dead. They left me alone. I feel a deep sadness for not dying with them." she stated.
THE YOUNGEST OF HER GRANDCHILDREN IS 1.5, THE OLDEST IS 16 Alouwa said, "I have 36 grandchildren. The youngest is 1.5, the oldest is 16 years old. My only wish is for them to live happily. We are living among the rubble, without food or beds. There is still blood on the mattresses we sleep on. We are living under extremely difficult conditions. We have no source of income, and my husband is struggling with various illnesses. Sometimes I wish the ground would open up and my grandchildren and I could go inside to escape this pain. I don’t know what to say. Should I cry for my sons, for the pain I have endured, or for my little grandchildren who keep asking about their murdered fathers? I am very tired. I can't even think. My life used to be wonderful. My sons were by my side. Today I have nothing, only pain and exhaustion. I hope someone, anyone, or any organization can help me take care of these orphans. This is a heavy burden, and I cannot carry it alone," she expressed.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Social Development, 40,000 children have lost a mother or father, or both, in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, and some have been left completely alone after losing all their relatives.