On Monday, April 26, 2021, the Palestinian American community was shaken to its core as 42 of their relatives were killed in a single day in Gaza by Israel.
The Gazan Ministry of Health reported that 58 Palestinians, including 14 children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes that day. In the most devastating loss for the families, 29 relatives of the Saudi-born Palestinian American Ahmed Abu Amer were killed in multiple airstrikes on their homes.
Ahmed, who lives in Michigan with his wife and three children, was met with the tragic news after he received a call from a relative in Palestine who informed him that his home and his extended family’s homes had been destroyed. He described his shock to only learn later that 42 of his relatives in Gaza had been killed.
The deaths of Ahmed’s relatives included his brother Ibrahim, his sister’s husband, his nephews and nieces, and even his grandmother. “My grandmother was an amazing woman, she had a lot of stories, she was wise and funny and we always looked up to her,” Ahmed said. “This has been so hard for my entire family – it’s been too much to bear.”
Ahmed’s brother Mohammed is currently in Gaza, and said he and his family had less than three minutes to escape their home after the first warning was issued. They were running towards safety just as the airstrike occurred.
The loss of so many loved ones in such a short period of time has caused pain throughout the Palestinian American community; it’s a reminder of the injustice and violence utilized to inflict harm on an entire people. Friends and family in the US and abroad have offered their support to Ahmed and his family.
The Palestinian American community stands in solidarity for the people of Gaza and its current fight as it’s been 110 years since their land has been forcibly taken from them. They are calling on the United States government to intervene in the situation, put a stop to the unwarranted destruction of homes and lives, and end the occupation of Palestine.
“It’s been too much death and destruction,” Ahmed said. “I just hope my family can have justice, peace, and some semblance of a normal life like everyone else.”