When an Israeli bomb fell near the house that seven-year-old Nariman lived in with her family in Gaza, they were lucky to escape with their lives.
After the air strike severely damaged the building, footage of Nariman searching for her beloved pets in the mess of concrete and broken furniture went viral on social media.
Several of her pets survived the blast, but the image of one of her goldfish, found lying in the debris, has become an unlikely symbol of a conflict in which the suffering of children has been well documented.
Like many in Gaza, Nariman has been confronted with loss and hardship at an early age and is learning to live with the threat of further air attacks.
"I'm happy that I have saved the other one and my two canaries, but so sad Hurriya has died," Nariman told The National at what was left of her house in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
The fish that died was named Hurriya, Arabic for freedom.
In the footage, Nariman can be seen smiling with her cousin after they retrieved her other pets: another goldfish, named Rouh, the Arabic word for soul, and two canaries.
The Israeli strike hit the nearby Islamic National Bank, allegedly used by Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza.
Nariman’s father, Bassam Al Akkad, recalled the minutes that preceded the so-called big blow, the term used by the Gazans to describe the Israeli air strikes that follow phone calls and signal rockets warning people to stay away from buildings in the cross-hairs.
“I went to the mosque near by for the fajr [dawn] prayer, then my neighbours were quickly warning several houses in our street to leave immediately after one of them received a phone call,” said Mr Al Akkad, who owns a local grocery shop.
“I took Nariman, her sister, their two brothers and my wife and left everything behind and forgot about the bowl of fish and the two birds.”
The Israeli military was monitoring the target area before the strike, he said, warning people to get out of the way.
“The caller said they could see our 90-year-old neighbour still in front of his house and asked us to make him leave immediately. Then they struck the bank, which is just four metres from our house. All of this happened in 25 minutes,” he said.
Nariman said she insisted on going to their house immediately after the strike in search of her pets.
Mr Al Akkad said he felt guilty for having left them behind and went with her to look.
“To our surprise we found the two canaries in their cage intact while the fish bowl was a bit cracked and lost some of its water,” he said.
Mr Al Akkad said looking after the fish had helped Nariman learn how to be responsible and patient in life.
But, he said, they had now helped to teach her an even more important lesson.
“The air strikes always remind us of what we do have in our lives, rather than what we don’t,” he said. “We know many families who lost their sons and daughters in the war. But, if there’s one lesson learnt for us as Palestinians in Gaza, it’s that we always tell our children: ‘Never take life for granted here'.”
Health officials in Gaza say at least 230 people, including 65 children, have been killed in the coastal enclave since the fighting began on May 10.
Many fear the death toll could be higher, because some of the casualties are buried in collapsed buildings.
At least 10 people were killed by rockets landing in Israel, including a five-year-old boy in the southern town of Sderot, and another child.
Repeated rocket attacks caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas’s military infrastructure in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
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MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on Quran memorisation:
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
