The Soul of My Soul

Thank you, Khaled Nabhan, for your beautiful witness, and your too-short life. Allah yerhamho.

Khaled Nabhan and his granddaughter, Reem.

As many of you have perhaps already heard, Israel killed Khaled Nabhan this morning in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. Khaled was known as a Palestinian grandfather whose mourning of his grandchildren went viral last November.

For the past several days, the IDF has been brutally bombing the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 40 people have been killed so far.

Brett Wilkins wrote today on CommonDreams.com, “Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, gained international recognition in November 2023 after widespread circulation of video footage of him cradling the lifeless body of his 3-year-old granddaughter Reem, who was killed along with her 5-year-old brother Tariq in an IDF airstrike on the Nuseirat camp. Nabhan and other relatives were wounded in the attack.

“In the video, Nabhan kisses Reem's bruised and bloodied face as he bids farewell to the grandchild he called the "soul of my soul."

Wear The Peace, a clothing company in Chicago founded by Palestinian refugees in 2016 to promote peace and understanding, and to give back to charities around the world, created a design last year in honor of Khaled, Reem and Tarek. I bought two sweatshirts with the design as Christmas presents, one for my husband and one for my mother-in-law. All proceeds—100%—have been donated directly to Palestinians in need in Gaza, through a small, grassroots Palestinian charity. This first design sparked an entire collection, which has raised and donated $1.5 million to Gazans starving under bombardment.

Nabhan’s death has hit me particularly hard. After his grandchildren were killed I followed him on Instagram, and saw him giving his life new meaning by serving others in his community. So moved by his love for his grandchildren were they that the Wear the Peace family raised the money to send Khaled and his wife, Imm Diana, on the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, once the Israeli destruction of Gaza ends.

I received a few moments ago a letter from Murad, one of the co-founders of Wear The Peace, informing me of Khaled’s murder. In it, he shares a story which is beautiful and heartbreaking.”

“We ended up creating a design in dedication to him and his family, and donated 100% of profits to provide for the humans of Gaza and to assist Khaled's family. He loved the design, but because of the restrictions of the occupation and their border wall, we were not able to get him a piece from the collection.

“This morning, like millions of others who loved him, I woke up to the horrific news that he had been killed. I saw his enlightened face as his family said their final farewells. I saw them carrying his body for burial. I saw his daughter playing with his beard. Like many others, I felt like a piece of me had been snatched away. I wondered, how many people have a heavy heart today, though they've never met him.

“As I scrolled through the news on Instagram, my body froze. His nephew, Saed Nabhan, a journalist from Gaza, took a photo of him with his thobe open. He was wearing the design and the crewneck that we designed in dedication to him. It didn't make sense to me. How was this even possible?

“I had sent my condolences earlier in the morning to his nephew, Saed, but had to ask him about the shirt. He sent me a voice message saying he just got it gifted it to him just a couple of days ago from someone who entered (later we found out it was from a volunteer nurse that entered Gaza).”

“Today was the first day he ever wore it and he loved it so much. He was killed in it.”

After Reem and Tariq were killed, Khaled was interviewed saying of his granddaughter, “she used to call me with her sweet voice, bring me food and water, and fill my days with happiness. I would say to her, 'Oh my love, my heart, my eyes.'"

Oh Khaled, our heart, our eyes. Soul of our soul, may you rest in peace, and may your blood water the seeds of a Free Palestine in Gaza’s battered soil.