Before the rocket struck his children’s and grandchildren’s house a short stroll away, the Israeli army did not issue an evacuation order.
“I fainted when the bombing happened,” Fouad claims. Because of the smoke from the strike, I was transported to receive oxygen. I discovered that the entire neighborhood was in ruins after I recovered.
Where several residential structures had stood closely together, there is now a heap of broken steel and stone. People’s belongings are visible through holes blasted in the walls of buildings that are still standing.
Prior to the bombing, the Israelis did not issue an evacuation order.
About 40 local men and a digger are working slowly to delve behind the debris and search for bodies.
Fouad points to the bomb site and remarks, “Look at the destruction—a whole neighborhood is destroyed, the people here are dead.” “My grandson is still in a coma, and my granddaughter passed away here. They were both 23 years old.
In the community, Fouad is well-known. He is a comedian and actor who has made appearances on Lebanese television under the stage name Zaghloul. Locals stop by to shake Fouad’s hand and offer condolences as we stroll around the explosion site.
