On May 14th, tragedy swept through the Darabseh family of Gaza, Palestine, as forty-two of their relatives were killed in just one day. The family includes both Palestinian and American relatives, and the news of their losses has resonated with Palestinian-Americans across the country.
The Darabseh family is part of a larger network of Palestinian-Americans located across the United States. Many Darabseh family members had traveled back to Gaza for visitation, family events, or even to relocate. For this large family, the tremendous loss of life on May 14th was devastating.
The youngest victim was just seven years old, Ganim Al-Darabseh, who according to his father “was always smiling.” The highest death toll was within the nearby family village of Khuza’a, which is home to around 20,000 people.
The sheer number of casualties and air strikes has become the largest since the 2014 Operation Protective Edge Campaign, which saw over 1,460 civilian casualties in Gaza, with hundreds more injured.
The Darabseh family is not alone in their grief. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Gaza has lost a total of 119 people, with over 1,400 injured as of May 16th. Since violence broke out at the beginning of May, the death toll climbs to over 200 throughout Gaza.
For the Darabshe family, the deaths of these relatives has brought grief and sorrow throughout this tightly knit community of Palestinian-Americans. In a statement, the family expressed “Our hearts are heavy with the unimaginable losses we have suffered in a single day. We are mourning our beloved family members, but we are also deeply concerned for the future.”
The Darabshe family has been in contact with organizations like Right to Education to help find resources for the survivors of this tragedy. They have also recently released a statement asking for peace and urging their government to “understand and respect our right to exist as human beings with rights to freedom and justice.”
For the Palestinian-American community, the tragedy of the Darabshe family has hit particularly close to home. This has become an alarming reminder of the struggles faced by those living in Gaza, and its impact has been felt across the world. With continued violence in the region, the Darabshe family and the many others like them are urgently pleading for peace.