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Fadi Abu Sada – It was clear that Ala’s mother was very frightened when we telephoned her at home to ask for journalist Ala Murtaja. He was a part of our live radio show, “We are all Gaza,” that is broadcast by our network, PNN United.
The program is done in solidarity with our family in the Gaza Strip, hoping to provide this simplest of things under such circumstances. We will not let the West Bank and Gaza Strip be split. On the phone Ala’s mother asked us more than once if we were really journalists. She said, “Sorry, but the Israeli occupation forces are always calling us and threatening us.” It was the same thing since the beginning of the major attacks on Gaza two weeks ago. “Don’t worry, Auntie. We are calling from Bethlehem City and want to talk to him to know more about the situation and to try to help you in any way we can.” Ala’s Gaza City neighborhood of Al Zeitoun was the first to be attacked by Israeli tanks, and continues to be. In the past few days Ala’ was working from home because he could not move around to reach Radio Alwan, his local station. It was about 10:30 yesterday evening when I was trying to relax my exhausted body, to ease the fatigue of not sleeping for many days and working around the clock. I was really wishing that I would be able to close my eyes even for a few minutes, but still I was watching the news. I never thought that goodbye would be this way, from far away and with no warning. I heard that Ala’ was injured so I began calling my friends to ask about him and to check if there was anything we could do for him. But of course we can’t. He has left us forever. It was “on air” when a tank shell fell on his house in the Al Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. He was not able to hold on for a long time after he reached the hospital. His mother was with him. Nothing will get Ala’ back, no condemnation or statements that the organizations and unions issue, nor by knowing that Israel is responsible for his death or demanding commissions of inquiry to investigate the facts because the only clear fact is that Ala’ is gone forever. We are living in a dirty world that cannot protect anyone while we are always talking about the Geneva Convention for protection of civilians. It’s the same dirty world that sings about its democracy while doing nothing about it and the same dirty world that talks about human rights while thinking that they are humans and we are not. God bless you Ala’. We will continue the work of transferring the truth of your absence, seeing you off for the last time.
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