Gaza Herald – “Hide me, Dad,” were the last words of little Fadi before he sought refuge in his father’s arms, fleeing the sound of gunfire that shattered the silence of their displacement tent. The child drifted to sleep, reassured by his father’s embrace, but the bullets gave him no chance to survive.
That night, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on tents sheltering displaced families. A bullet struck the father, then penetrated the child’s head, killing him instantly.
Fadi Najeeb Salah (4 and a half years old) was killed on the morning of Sunday, January 4, 2026, after being hit by an Israeli explosive round in the “Fash Farsh” area while sleeping inside a displacement tent.
His father, Najeeb, recounts the tragedy: “It was close to 2 a.m., and the Israeli gunfire was intense and chaotic. We lay flat on the ground, and I held him until he fell asleep.”
“He was trembling,” the father added. “When he heard the shooting, he crawled toward me and said: ‘Hide me, Dad; hide me.’”
He continued: “As soon as he fell asleep, an Israeli explosion went off near my head, shaking everything. I opened my eyes to find that the bullet had struck Fadi’s head and torn his face apart. There was blood everywhere.”
“With deep sorrow, he said: “The bullet was meant for me. I was the one holding him close, but it hit him instead.”
Struggling to comprehend the loss, the father repeated in grief: “My smart, gentle boy killed in my arms.”
He questioned in anguish: “Has the genocide ended, or has it begun again? What is happening to us? Our children are taken from us in an instant.”
Expressing helplessness, he added: “Neither I nor the tent could protect Fadi.”
Despite the devastating loss, the father now plans to dismantle the tent and leave the place where his child was killed before his eyes and those of his siblings, hoping to find a safer place for his remaining children.
