09-27-2003, 06:48 AM
Lina, Palestinian Toddler Killed By Israeli "Fright Machine"
Horror and fright killed this angel (look at pic down)
By Ahmed Abu Aqleen, IOL Gaza Correspondent
GAZA CITY, September 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Through their tears, the parents of the three-year-old Palestinian Lina Hassan Issa told IslamOnline.net Friday, September 26, about the hours of horror, caused by Israeli helicopters and tank fire, prior to the loss of their toddler who died of "fright".
Lina, whose house was adjacent to one of the buildings raided by the occupation army, died of fright during one of the continuous Israeli raids on the Palestinian territories.
At dawn Thursday, September 25, a column of 35 Israeli armored vehicles, including tanks, pushed into the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, backed up by a helicopter gunship.
"It was 3 am, we were all asleep and the house was quiet. Suddenly, I was awakened by the sounds of Israeli Apachi helicopters firing intensively and I knew our neighborhood was the target of a new raid," Lina's father, Hassan, recalled the horrible moments.
"Minutes later, the sound of firing grew louder and became deafening. Suddenly, I saw Lina jumping out of her bed and running towards me with the deepest look of horror I have ever seen engraved of her little face. She threw herself in my open arms and started screaming hysterically.
"I felt her tiny body shaking and all my attempts to calm her down bore no fruit with the continuous firing outside. Gradually, her body temperature started falling, she stopped screaming and her face became as pale as that of a corpse," he added, through his wet face.
It was obvious Hassan himself was on the verge of collapse as he recalled the terrible experience of a father holding his dying child while completely helpless to save his dearest. One may wonder what else could be crueler to a father, any father.
After some words of comfort, Hassan could pull himself together to continue.
"I tried to rush out of the house to take her to the hospital but that was impossible with the sounds of tank shells and continuous explosions outside. Three hours later, the occupation forces withdrew. I rushed to the hospital, carrying Lina who was then as quiet as dead.
"I reached al-Aqsa hospital where the medical staff did their utmost to save her but to no avail. My little angel was killed by the fright her little heart could not handle," he concluded.
Sparrow In Paradise
At first, I was hesitant to try to speak with Lina's mother who has not yet stopped crying over the loss of her daughter whom she described as "the family angel".
"Praise be to Allah, my daughter is now in Paradise just like a little sparrow, God Willing," she said.
"Lina was our smile and our joy. She used to fill our gatherings with a cheerful atmosphere with her endless innocence and childish humor.
"Before going to bed, she would always kiss us good night and I loved watching her going to bed with her ever smiling face. I always wondered about the sweet dreams she ought to be seeing in her sleep," she added.
Lina was the fourth among her siblings. The oldest (Hamouda) is 5 and the youngest (Asmaa) is one