In an unimaginable tragedy, a Palestinian American family based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, is grappling with the overwhelming loss of 42 relatives in a single day due to an airstrike in Gaza City, reported by CNN
The Hamouda family, thousands of miles away from the epicenter of the conflict, are in a state of disbelief and sorrow as they mourn the devastating loss of three generations of their family.
On October 19, the Sheikh Ejleen neighborhood of Gaza City was struck by an airstrike, claiming the lives of 42 members of the Saqallah family, as confirmed by Tariq Hamouda, the family's patriarch.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched numerous airstrikes on Gaza City since October 7, in an ongoing conflict with Hamas. However, CNN cannot independently confirm the exact nature of the strike that led to this tragedy.
In response to this tragedy, the Maple Grove community has shown an outpouring of support and solidarity with the Hamouda family.
Community members have gathered for prayer at the Brooklyn Park Islamic Center, and even staff members from Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s Minnesota office have reached out to offer their condolences and assistance.
Despite the support, the Hamouda family, along with Eyad Abu Shaban, plead for a ceasefire and an end to the violence.
The ongoing conflict has caused untold suffering and loss, and the world is bearing witness to the human cost of war through heartbreaking stories like that of the Hamouda family.
As activists, human rights groups, and international officials call for an end to the violence, the war continues, escalating into dangerous ground operations and leaving families like the Hamouda’s to navigate their grief and loss in its wake.
“We’ve never seen in this day and age where the whole world is watching innocent people just being torn apart.
Families, whole families, just wiped off the map,” laments Eyad Abu Shaban. “I want everybody to know that the people of Gaza are just like them, they hurt, they bleed, they have families, they have feelings.”
The international community watches, waits, and hopes for peace, while families like the Hamouda’s live through the nightmare, praying for the day when they can wake up to a world without war.
