Hammad was killed as he grazed livestock

Gaza Strip: On February 14, almost a month after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, 13-year-old Hammad Silmiya was grazing his sheep and goats in northeast Gaza, about 500 metres from the border with Israel.

An Israeli military jeep patrolling the border opened fire on him and his teenage friends. Hammad was shot in the head and he died almost instantly.

Hammad's death barely made the news - just another casualty in the Gaza Strip, where civilian injuries and deaths continue to mount daily. His family had already endured the killing of Hammad's grandmother, his two cousins, aged four and 18 months, and the destruction of their homes and livestock during Israel's offensive.

"It was Saturday morning and Hammad woke up at six," Hammad's aunt Jomai'a, 40 told Gulf News. "He left with his brother and a couple of young friends to graze the animals. At around 10 in the morning Hammad was preparing some breakfast in the field like he always did. An Israeli military vehicle fired at them and shot him in the head."

Jomai'a pulls out a plastic bag from the folds of her black shawl and unties the knot. Inside a small envelop is the only remaining photograph they have of Hammad, taken when he was seven years old.

"Hammad was like a beloved son to me because I have no children of my own and he always slept beside me," says Jomai'a. "Whenever he needed anything, he would ask me. They used to say Hammad didn't have just one mother, he had two - his real mother, and I. Hammad owned a part of my heart and it went with him when he died." Hammad had left school just a few months ago to work fulltime as a shepherd and help his family. "I tried to force him to go back to school but all he cared about was working with the goats and riding his donkey," says Jomai'a.

"He was so good with animals. Whenever he came home from school, he'd throw his bag in the house and run to be with the animals. The night before Hammad was killed I dreamt about a wedding ceremony, which in our culture is a bad omen. When they told me Hammad was injured I knew that he had been killed because I had seen him as a bridegroom in my dream," she added.

Hammad's mother Salma sits beside Jomai'a in the makeshift shelter the family has set up beside the remains of their homes in Hay-as-Salama, northeastern Gaza.

This Bedouin family came to Gaza as refugees from Beersheva in 1948 and settled in the Hay-as-Salama area. Prior to the latest Israeli offensive they had concrete homes and livestock farms beside the buffer zone, which was the first area to be hit during Israel's ground offensive in January 2009.

"Tanks began firing at the area at two in the morning on 5 January," recalls Jomai'a. "The first bomb hit our house and I ran to my mother's room because she is 80 years old and bedridden. Then a second shell hit the house and we had to run, leaving her behind. We were like scared goats whose stable door had been opened. We fled to Jabaliya and then to Zeitoun where we sheltered in schools.

When the Silmiya family returned to the area on January 18, they found their row of houses had been flattened by F-16 airstrikes and it took them three days to uncover Hammad's grandmother from the rubble. Hammad was buried next to his grandmother just a few weeks later.

Due to this area's proximity to the border, few donors have come to assess the damage or provide assistance. The nearest refugee tent camp is unsuitable for the Silmiyas because they need to be near their animals and Bedouin families prefer to live alone. "Hammad was 13 years old. In anyone's eyes he looked like a child, but they still shot him. He was very bright and he was great with animals. He even used to sell our milk and cheese in the market. What more can I tell the world about my son? How can I speak about him? Big countries can't even stop Israel so what can I do? I feel like I'm nothing. This area was just houses and a street. Were these goats fighters? There's nothing left&" says his father Barrak.

As Barrak turns to walk away, Hammad's mother Salma rises to her feet: "These 15 days since Hammad died have felt like 500. Hammad was dark, and he was beautiful. Food has no taste anymore."