Middle East: On the evening of October 6, a displaced Lebanese family sat together on the balcony of a rented house in Mount Lebanon's Aley district, a place that was described as a "safe zone."

Suddenly, the calm was shattered by a deafening noise, followed by heart-wrenching screams. A devastating attack claimed the lives of four children of the family, leaving others severely injured and deeply traumatized.

Malak, the mother of two daughters—nine-year-old Sara and twelve-year-old Fatima—recounted to the Press TV website the horror of losing her two daughters in the Israeli strike that leveled the house.

The family, along with their extended relatives totaling approximately 25 people, was displaced from the Haret Hreik district in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs to Qmatiyeh, a village in the Aley District that was considered "safe" and outside the war zone.

At least 200 children have been killed by the Israeli apartheid regime in Lebanon in the past few months, while over 700 have sustained injuries, many of them rendered incapacitated.

More than 400,000 children have been rendered homeless following the recent Israeli aggression, traumatized by bombings across Lebanon and the sudden disruption of their daily lives.

UNICEF Regional Director Adele Khodr stated in a report issued in October that doctors in Lebanon informed them about treating children who were "bloodied, bruised, and suffering from multiple fractures, enduring both physical and mental distress."

"Many are experiencing anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares related to the explosions. No child should be subjected to such horrific circumstances," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Displaced children experience fear, anxiety, destruction, and the threat of death in an uncertain and unfamiliar environment, experts say, left wondering when they will be able to return home or to school.

'Israel deliberately targeted us'

Malak told the Press TV website that on that fateful evening, which was like any other ordinary evening, the family had gathered on the balcony for a cup of tea while the children played together.

“We are residents of the Beirut southern suburb, Dahiyeh, in Haret Hreik. When the Israeli aggression against Lebanon began, my family and I fled to Qmatiyeh. We are now 25 family members living together in the same house,” she said, explaining their ordeal.

She said they witnessed all Israeli air raids, round the clock, on Dahiyeh from the mountainous area where they were staying, often seeing only plumes of smoke and the noise of loud explosions.

"However, on October 6, we became the news. Israel decided to target us. Suddenly, at 10:00 p.m., everything turned black, and we were unable to comprehend what had happened to us. I started hearing screams: ‘We were bombed! We were bombed!’” Malak recounted.

“It was so smoky that I could not see who was around me. I gathered my strength to stand up and turned back to the balcony door, only to see that half of the building had collapsed.

"Then I realized I was bleeding. I had no idea what had happened to my daughters until I saw the youngest inside, safe and sound, but I knew nothing about her two sisters."

Malak was unable to concentrate and nearly lost consciousness when ambulances rushed to the scene and transported her and her family members to the nearest hospital.

“When I woke up the next day after surgery, I asked him about my daughters, but he said he had no idea where they were. Ambulances had transported the injured to various hospitals for treatment,” she recalled, struggling to hold back her tears.

At least 25 people were injured in the attack, with some even losing their eyesight or limbs who had to remain in hospitals for several weeks to undergo advanced treatment.

'My angels were martyred'

Malak herself was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. When she woke up the next morning and regained consciousness, the first thing she did was ask about her daughters.

“Everyone was telling me, my daughters were in the Intensive Care Unit and that their situation was critical. After two days, one of my close family members visited me, and my first question was where are my daughters? She shook her head, I said so they were killed? They were martyred? She shook her head again, assuring that they were martyred,” the mother told the Press TV website.

Malak said she still feels numb, unable to process the loss and magnitude of the tragedy.

A nutritionist by training, Malak had opted not to pursue her professional career and focus on raising her three children. However, the story did not have a happy ending. 

“All I could think about was wanting to see my children before they were buried. It was incredibly difficult because I was undergoing various surgeries and was hard for me to walk or move," she said.

"However, I desperately wanted to see them, and the nurses were kind enough to help. They arranged for Sara and Fatima to be brought in an ambulance so that I could bid them farewell. It was our final goodbye," the bereaved mother hastened to add.

Malak doesn't know why her daughters were killed and nobody seems to have an answer.

“What crime did these four young children commit? What did my girls do to deserve being killed? Can someone answer this question?” she asked. 

They were talented lively girls'  

Malak said her daughters, Fatima and Sara, had never experienced war before. They were not born yet when the Israeli regime invaded southern Lebanon in 2006, only to beat a humiliating retreat.

However, they had heard stories from elder family members about the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. They also kept themselves informed about the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and always expressed sympathy for the Palestinian children, their mother said.

They believed that the children of Gaza deserved to live in peace and it saddened them to hear about children being killed in Israeli bombings and their houses being bombed.

“At the beginning of the war, they would become frightened when they heard an explosion, but then the tension decreased, especially when we moved to Qmatiyeh and were together with other family members,” Malak said.

“Fatima and Sara were not only my daughters; they were my best friends. I was deeply attached to them, and everyone knows this. Sara and Fatima were exceptionally polite and calm children. They were attentive listeners and top students at school. I am not praising them merely because they were my daughters; they were truly talented and remarkable girls.”

Speaking to the Press TV Website, Malak opened up about her relationship with her daughters and the way she helped them explore their innate interests and creative instincts. 

“I always paid attention to their mental and physical health. I ensured they never wasted time and engaged in hobbies they enjoyed. Both are reciters of the Quran and have memorized significant portions of it. They were very fond of crochet and embroidery," she stated.

"Fatima was particularly passionate about calligraphy. She even started her own online business and was thrilled to sell the handmade art she created. Both were also members of the school basketball team, loved swimming, and had taken advanced swimming classes. The best part of the day was bedtime; they would eagerly anticipate reading their bedtime stories.”

Goodbye my friend

While Malak lay in the hospital, recovering from their injuries and trauma, she began receiving a flood of messages from Fatima and Sara's school friends.

“Their friends loved them deeply and were very caring. They used to play, study, read verses from the Holy Quran, and go out together,” Malak told the Press TV website.

“Fatima and Sara’s friends were extremely upset and emotional about their martyrdom. They expressed profound feelings in their letters to them and me as well.”

Malak read out one of the heartbreaking messages sent by Fatima's close friend, Sara Hmayed.

 Source: Press TV