Jamal Abu Tilakh moves between his sheep which belongs to his family as part of a daily routine filled with risk near the lands located at the border fence which separates the Gaza Strip from the 1948 Occupied Territories.
Abu Tilakh 22 walks hundreds of meters from his house located in Al-Shouka area to the east of Rafah to the south of the Gaza Strip to Sofa’s border area doing ‘Prophets’ first job’ by accompanying his flock of sheep to graze in the border area which Palestinians rarely access due to the presence of Israeli occupation forces nearby.
Different life style
Abu Tilakh seems exceptionally professional with his cap and long stick leading his flock drawing a different job for himself that is different than that of his peers.
Early in the morning he goes out with his flock to the farm he is used to take his flock to to the east of Al-Fukhari area where eye-catchy areas full of grass and forage exist which is suitable for his sheep.
The man with a tanned skin lies on the ground and enjoys sunshine as he watches his sheep to make sure they remain in one group and none of them get lost.
The PIC’s correspondent who walked around in the area asked Jamal about the nature of his work and the extent of his satisfaction.
With a smile on his face and using his Bedouin accent he said: “My life is beautiful and simple at the same time. I start my day by going out with my flock of sheep in the early morning and I follow my sheep until I get to this place.”
He added although he was interrupted as a small sheep got stuck in the thorns “I grew up taking care of the sheep. I don’t have any other job. I find a lot of joy doing this job especially that this flock of sheep belongs to my own family.”
Mother’s martyrdom and a fresh wound
The PIC reporter noticed that the shepherd had some difficulty walking. He asked him about the reason touching an old wound that is still deeply rooted in Jamal’s memory.
He took a breath and said that he was wounded after the Israeli occupation forces had fired a shell during the 2014 offensive on Gaza that slammed near him injuring him in the belly and the foot.
He was silent for seconds before revealing that he lost his mother in this shelling Khadra Abu Awad Tilakh 54 who was taking care of the flock of sheep on 22 of July during a period of relative calm.
Jamal could not forget the moment when he carried the body of his mother while being wounded himself trying to take her to the hospital before falling on the ground unconscious and being also taken to the hospital.
With his heart full of hope he makes prayers of mercy for his mother who left him alone in the house after all his brothers and sisters got married.
Daily risk
Jamal suffers just like the rest of Palestinian farmers shepherds and fishermen the risk of being shot at by the IOF noting “Despite all of this I will not leave the place in which I grew up taking care of my sheep. I will never leave it even if this means risking my own life.”
Jamal impatiently waits the rain season; since when it comes late grass starts to disappear due to the many shepherds who come to feed their sheep especially after uprooting many farming areas to build houses in the last few years.
By sunset Jamal herds his sheep back home using his stick while listening to his favorite Bedouin Dihyiaa songs using headphones.
