TULKARM: It was not a peaceful night for two-year-old Baraa Thaer Omara. Every time sleep nearly overtook him, he would suddenly wake up in a panic, haunted by nightmares. Any loud noise or sudden movement would send him into a fit of trembling, reminding him of that terrifying night-the moment that changed his life forever. Fear and anxiety gripped him, and the cries of a young child echoed through the house as he relived the horror he had witnessed.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, Baraa’s aunt sat him down in a chair beside his grandmother, Khetam Omara, known as “Um Rashad,” whose eyes never ceased to weep for the loss of her son Thaer. At 38 years old, Thaer had been killed by Israeli forces just the night before in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm. Surrounding Um Rashad were the women of the family, trying to comfort her, to ease her pain, and to support his wife during this unbearable loss.
In her recounting of what had transpired with her grandson, shared through eyew
itnesses who had seen the events unfold, Um Rashad spoke of the horror that little Baraa endured during the two hours of terror. He had been with his father, who had taken him along for a trip to the outskirts of Tulkarm, in the Ezbet al-Jarad area, to fix a problem with the car.
The day had started like any other. The father and son shared a brief moment of joy, a brief pause from the day-to-day struggles, but that peace was shattered when they arrived at the auto repair shop. Thaer noticed something unusual in the area. Before he could process it fully, Israeli special forces surrounded the location.
Trying to maintain some sense of composure in front of his son, Thaer briefly played with Baraa and reassured him. He gave him a bottle of milk, kissed him on the forehead, and held him close, as if it were a final farewell. He calmed his son’s fears before stepping out of the car and locking it. But as soon as Thaer moved away from the vehicle, the Israeli soldiers opened fire. The bullets struck him in the
leg, but Thaer’s immediate concern was getting as far away from the car as possible to protect his son.
However, before he could make it far, another bullet struck him in the head, and he collapsed, bleeding out. In an instant, Thaer was killed.
Inside the car, Baraa, completely unaware of the meaning of the gunfire that tore through the air around him, could only feel the intense fear. The deafening explosions from Israeli shells only added to the chaos, leaving the child unable to comprehend what was happening. All he knew was the overwhelming feeling of danger. Overcome with fear, he screamed and cried, frantically moving from one window to another, calling out for his father in desperation.
Eyewitnesses, speaking to Um Rashad, described the scene after the soldiers completed their attack. They surrounded the car, breaking the windows and paying no heed to the child crying inside. Baraa was struck by several shrapnel fragments in the face. Despite his injuries and his visible distress, the soldiers took
him into custody, holding him for some time in a military jeep, surrounded by armed troops. It wasn’t until later that Baraa was handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent’s emergency services, who rushed him to the Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm.
By the time he arrived at the hospital, Baraa was still crying, terrified and confused, unable to understand why his father wasn’t there with him. He was treated for his injuries, but the emotional trauma would linger long after. Eventually, he was handed over to his family, who had come to pick him up, but now, he returned home without his father, whose absence would never be filled.
At home, Baraa was cradled in the arms of his mother, who had just learned the devastating news. The shock and sorrow were overwhelming for her as she held her son, trying to console him, even as she herself struggled to process the loss of her husband.
In that same night of terror, Israeli forces also killed another young man, Mamoun Shreim, and captured the bodies of both Thae
r and Mamoun, leaving Baraa behind as a witness to this horrific crime. A child, too young to fully understand, had lived through moments of fear, vulnerability, and anguish that no child should ever have to endure-moments that would forever haunt him, shaping his memories in ways no child should ever experience.
As the family mourns the loss of Thaer and his companions, they are left with a tragic reality: the unimaginable trauma suffered by a child who will carry the echoes of that night for the rest of his life. The memory of his father’s last embrace, his cries for help, and the images of soldiers who paid no heed to his suffering are etched in his young heart, a part of his story that will never be erased.