It’s not easy to describe the feelings I had in the final moments that I spent in my home that was in Baba Amro. I was always waiting for that moment since the start of all the bombing on our city. Every night I would do my “wudu” and pray, I would read the Qura’n and pray to God above to have mercy on our souls. I would ask that if my house should be bombed that it would bring peace to my family and to my children. I would pray like this every night for twenty days until that day came when we heard two bombs land very close to our house. The third one hit the side of our house, the walls collapsed and I heard screams coming from all sides. As for me, I lost the ability to talk or scream, I felt a fire burning inside me, and only seconds later I felt something cold spread in my heart. But I pulled myself together, and I screamed for everyone to be quiet and for me to able to check that no one was harmed. I could barely see in front of me from the debree, and after I made sure that everyone was O.K I felt a sense of courage take over me. I carried my youngest son who is one and a half years old and left the room screaming for my husband and sister who became like stones from the shock they experienced. I told them to help me get the children out of the house as they were suffocating from all the dust and debree. We all managed to get out, barefoot and with only the clothes on our back…
-Hamida
This is an extremely powerful image and I can hear your voice through your writings. May God be with you!