KUALA LUMPUR: Nurul Ain Haron, who managed to get out of the Gaza conflict area and arrive back safely in Malaysia on Tuesday (Nov 14) together with her Palestinian husband Mohamed A. M. Shaat, has recalled how the indomitable spirit of the children of Palestine kept her going when she was on the verge of giving up.
Nurul Ain, who works as a dental assistant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the only Malaysian to have witnessed the conflict and atrocities in Gaza, said that as a Malaysian who had never experienced a war before, that indomitable spirit of the children of Gaza not only gave her the strength and courage to withstand the daily tense situation but also ‘numbed’ her fear as she boldly went out to provide help to the people there.
“I’d be lying if I said that I was not scared when we had to endure attack after attack every day, but seeing the different reaction of the children of Gaza, who looked so calm… that was the defining moment for me.
“There were times when I would close my ears because of the explosions going off everywhere. But the children stopped me from doing that and told me not to be afraid…that there is no problem,” she told Bernama when she appeared as a guest on Bernama Radio’s special talk show titled ‘Seksa Dunia Di Bumi Gaza’ yesterday.
Now, back home and safe, the 37-year-old Nurul Ain is still haunted by the continuous missile attacks and gunfire, which nearly killed her three times.
Recalling those anxious moments, the 37-year-old Nurul Ain, a Malaysian stranded in Khan Yunis, Gaza since Oct 7, said the missile attacks in public places and settlements occurred about 200 to 500 metres (m) away from where she was located.
“There were times when the attacks took place, my husband and I would go out to look for relief items, including food, blankets and so on despite knowing that it would be difficult to get such necessities… the very loud sounds of missiles exploding can be heard everywhere and I saw smoke billowing and fire raging.
“We knew we were almost killed because the missile attacks were just 200m to 500m away from where we were,” she said.
Nurul Ain and her husband, who were evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah border in Egypt, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, Qatar on Nov 14.
She and her husband had been in Gaza since Oct 1 visiting her in-laws before the conflict erupted on Oct 7.
Nurul Ain, who set foot in Gaza for the first time, also spoke of the beauty of the land of the prophets with the magnificent old buildings and the bustling daily activities.
She said that her most memorable moment was when they came under continuous attack for eight hours and saw for herself the sacrifices of the martyrs.
“That night, the internet and telephone connections were disconnected. My husband said that was not a good sign. That night, the sound of missile firings was incessant, followed by the sound of gunfire from tanks
“I also remember when we arrived at the morgue to identify my husband’s family members who were feared dead. The bodies of these martyrs smelled so fragrant… they were not foul-smelling at all,” she said.
She said that from the first day of the conflict, electricity and water supplies were cut and they had to rely solely on solar energy to charge their mobile phones and other items.
“We charged our mobile phones using solar energy, the same for our car and motorcycle batteries. As for bathing, we just used wet tissues… but for as long as I was there, we never ran out of food supply because the neighbours would help one another and were very concerned with the needs and conditions of other neighbours,” she said.
Nurul Ain said although she is now out of Gaza, she would continue to assist Palestinians as long as there are donors.
“I will continue (to channel assistance) because there are many who are still donating.
“I have already contacted wholesalers dealing in food and blankets. If there is a supply, we will send them directly to the victims there,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Adnan, 33, who works as a Radiation Protection Officer in the UAE, said Palestinian children are indeed taught to love their land and that any action taken, even if they have to sacrifice their lives, is for the sake of defending their rights.
“This earth is our heritage. We teach and educate our children from generation to generation. We know that we are defending our land, that’s where we we get our indomitable spirit from.
“That’s why, if a family member dies, other family members are still determined and grateful because their children and families died as martyrs,” he said.
The government media office in Gaza announced on Wednesday (Nov 15) that the death toll from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 has risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women. — BERNAMA
