GAZA, (PIC)
In joining his granddaughter who captured his heart, citizen Khaled Nabhan, the grandfather of the martyr Reem, known for his phrase: “The Soul of my Soul”, was martyred due to Israeli artillery shelling that targeted the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Sunday night.
Nabhan, or Sheikh Abu Dia, gained fame during the ongoing genocide against Gaza, when he appeared in a video in November 2023, bidding farewell to his granddaughter Reem, who was martyred in an Israeli strike, embracing her body, kissing her cheeks, and wiping her eyes while repeating the phrase “this is The Soul of my Soul.”
The man’s actions stirred deep sorrow in the hearts of everyone who witnessed that scene of a man wearing a traditional robe and turban, challenging the Islamophobic stereotypes in the post-September 11, 2001 world, depicting them as merciless and religious fanatics. Yet, Sheikh Abu Dia shattered that image.
The grief for Reem and the widespread sympathy for her grandfather were expressions of the profound crime of genocide that Israel has been committing against Gaza and its children for 14 months, with UNICEF estimating that 14,500 children have been martyred since the war on the Strip began on October 7, 2023.
In farewell to “The Soul of my Soul,” the grandfather appeared steadfast, patient, and seeking reward for the loss of his grandchildren, showering them with affection until the very last moment, holding her close to his chest, kissing her eyes repeatedly, playfully touching her small face with his beard that was streaked with gray as if she were still alive.
Reem was martyred at the age of two and a half alongside her brother Tarek while they were at their maternal grandfather’s house due to an Israeli strike on November 22, 2023, which targeted the neighboring house, leaving the grandfather with minor injuries.
On the anniversary of their martyrdom, which was less than a month ago, the Palestinian grandfather who moved the world appeared in a new video on social media, crying for the first time at the headstones of his buried grandchildren.
Behind the scene that circulated on platforms and prompted media to invite “The Soul of my Soul” to talk about the secret of his patience and acceptance of God’s decree, there was an unseen aspect of the picture, as reported by photojournalist Ashraf Abu Amra. The grandfather initially washed Reem’s hair and cleaned her face with a saline solution made from ashes of the rockets. Then he began to braid her hair as she liked.
“The Soul of my Soul” did not stop there, as Abu Amra recounts; he carried her, played with her, tossed her in the air, and caught her, planting kisses on her cheek. “It was clear that she held a special place in his heart, and in those moments, he spoke only of her as his soul’s soul, and that he would not delay in fulfilling her wishes.”
Since her birth, Reem represented everything beautiful in Sheikh Abu Dia’s life, as she was born on his birthday, December 23. He embraced her tightly and told her mother at the time, “Reem is mine, and I am hers… I would carefully choose her clothes and toys and provide for all her needs.”
“The Soul of my Soul” had a heavy heart filled with great sorrow, as he remarked at the time, “I looked at Reem and Tarek immediately after the bombing, and I wiped their faces before burying them… I felt they were sleeping and had not been martyred. I tried to open Reem’s eyes, which I considered a part of me, to look at them, for she truly is The Soul of my Soul.”
With a voice full of sadness, he said, “I whispered in Reem’s ear: ‘My dear, are you awake or asleep?’ I opened her eyes, I kissed her, said goodbye, and told her she would go to Allah, and our Lord is with you… Reem is part of my being, my soul, and my emotions, and out of my love for her, I would kiss her nose and cheek as she would do the same with me in our playful moments; she is the granddaughter closest to my heart.”
Today, “The Soul of my Soul” joins Reem and Tarek as a martyr, and he will not have to visit them every day to let his soul rest close to them.
