A picture of 10-year-old Tala Abu Ajwa, who was killed in an Israeli attack, becomes popular on social media. The image shows her skates with pink wheels and white velcro straps protruding from under a white sheet that was covering her body.
Hussam Salah Abu Ajwa, a Palestinian father, first opposed allowing his daughter to play outside, but in the end he gave in so she could skate around on her pink skates close to their home in Gaza City.
The girl, 10-year-old Tala Abu Ajwa, became the latest victim of Tel Aviv’s ongoing murderous campaign in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, when he heard the boom of an Israeli attack within two minutes.
“‘Please, Daddy, let me go out,’ she pleaded me. Hussam said to the AFP news agency following the Israeli hit on Tuesday, “I felt sad because she wanted to play with the girls” in the neighborhood.
He claimed that after hearing the explosion, he dashed outside and “found her among the rubble when I reached the flat that had been bombed.”
“I recognised her by her roller skates, the only thing that was visible.”
Since then, a picture of Tala with pink wheels and skates with white velcro straps protruding from under a white sheet covering her lifeless body has gone viral on social media.
Children in Gaza have been denied opportunities for leisure due to Israel’s demolition of schools and mass displacement during the war.
According to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, over 70% of the organization’s schools have been demolished or damaged by Israel. Lazzarini made this claim on X this week.
“The longer children stay out of school, the higher the risk of a lost generation, fuelling resentment & extremism,” Lazzarini stated.
“With no ceasefire, children are likely to fall prey to exploitation including child labour and recruitment into armed groups.”
I recognized her from her roller skates
“Mum, we don’t want wars.”
According to Hussam, Tala’s issue was simpler: she just disliked spending all of her time inside.
“She was cheerful and always liked to laugh, and loved to get out of the house,” he said.
“She dreamed a lot.” She was constantly asking for things, and I complied with her demands. She informed me. I brought them for her when she said, “I want a pair of skates.”
According to Palestinian sources, Israel has murdered at least 40,878 Palestinians and wounded another 100,000 more in its continuous bloodshed in the small enclave.
However, numerous specialists and research indicate that this figure is cautious, with the true death toll likely exceeding 90,000 or maybe approaching 190,000.
Women and children make up the majority of Israeli war victims, according to the UN rights office.
Now that Tala is gone, her brothers and parents can only laugh at their misfortune, since the Israeli strike happened to coincide with one of the few times Hussam allowed one of his kids outside.
“‘Why don’t we live like all the other children in the world?’ she used to ask me. I want our lives may be quiet and serene. Mother, we do not want wars. “I’m tired of wars,” Umm Tala, her mother, recalled.
“She was an extremely bright student who performed exceptionally well. “I would like to be able to go to the park and play,” she used to remark to me. Her wishes have expired along with her.”
