Watan-The stories of suffering for thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip continue, which has been witnessing a relentless Israeli war since last October. Among them is the story of Mohammed Abdul Bari Al-Khatib, a Palestinian who suffered from loss of speech and memory.
Abdul Bari was a distinguished preacher and media representative for one of the pilgrimage and Umrah companies. Due to the brutal Israeli airstrikes, the loss of his family, and the suffering of the blockade and restrictions, he lost his ability to speak and remember.
The Israeli occupation targeted the home of the Palestinian preacher, to which he had fled in Khan Yunis along with all his family members. In the airstrike, 36 members of his family were killed.
Most of his family members were lost
Like the majority of his family members, Mohammed Abdul Bari lost his mother, sisters, children, and wife in the brutal Israeli bombing. Only his father, his son Shadi, his sister, and a few other family members survived the bombing.
Abdul Bari and his son were injured in their legs during the airstrike. However, after an interview conducted by Al Jazeera with him and his family members in Rafah, where they finally settled, it appeared that he was suffering from memory loss and was unable to comprehend what had happened, let alone speak about it.
When an Al Jazeera correspondent tried to remind him that he was one of the well-known preachers in Gaza, he shook his head in denial. His son Shadi couldn’t hold back his tears while talking about his father.
من خطيب مفوّه بالمساجد إلى شخص فاقد للذاكرة والنطق.. هذا ما حدث مع الشاب محمد عبد الباري بعد أن فقد 36 فردًا من عائلته في قصف إسرائيلي#الجزيرة_مباشر pic.twitter.com/umbpPdeIwl
— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) March 14, 2024
His son Shadi cries as he recounts his story
Shadi tearfully recounted, “Whenever he had a Friday sermon, I used to accompany him. After he finished, I would run to him and hug him, and he would make me laugh. But now, he doesn’t talk or do anything.”
Mohammed Abdul Bari’s father explained the details of the moments leading up to the airstrike that targeted them, which occurred on December 12th of last year.
He said, “We were staying at my sister’s house in the Hope neighborhood. While we were sleeping, we heard the sound of bombing. I thought the bombing targeted our neighbors, but I found out it hit the upper floor of our house.”
He added, “I found my son Mohammed alive, but his mother, sisters, wife, and grandchildren, including his daughter and son, all fell from the fifth floor to the ground.”
Abu Shadi’s sister mentioned that Mohammed Abdul Bari accepted the situation and used to console the people who came to offer their condolences. However, suddenly after some time, he lost his memory and ability to speak.
She recounted that one day they lost Mohammed for 12 hours, and they searched for him everywhere until they found him lying on the street in the rain without his shoes, urging the relevant authorities to transfer him and his son Shadi for treatment outside the Strip.