The Electronic Intifada 17 June 2024
Reem Jamal al-Farra graduated with a degree in English literature and worked as a translator in Gaza.
Reem Jamal al-Farra was one of the most exceptional students I have ever taught. She was ambitious, diligent and she never missed an English translation class.
She would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from al-Aqsa University in Gaza and go on to work as a translator and writer.
Her life was too short. She was killed by Israel on 25 October 2023 at the age of 26, along with her sister Hala and brother Tawfiq.
I recall our last conversation vividly. The Israeli army had urged those of us in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south, and Reem generously offered my family her home in Khan Younis as a place of refuge.
I always said that Reem had a heart of gold.
When I learned of her death, I was in disbelief, utterly shocked and in denial. The news left me devastated and helpless, as if a part of me had been lost.
I couldn’t stop crying, clinging to the hope that she was still with us.
I kept expecting her to respond to my messages on Facebook, to send me her scholarship application for feedback and to share more news of her achieving her dreams.
“Once, I dreamed of touching the stars; now I dream only to survive” was one of her last posts on Facebook.
It has taken me eight months to write about Reem. After hearing of her death, I felt utterly powerless, unable to write a single word.
However, when I remembered Reem saying how she hated being reduced to a statistic in the world’s eyes, I gathered all my strength to write about her.
A life turned upside down
What did Reem do to deserve her dreams being cut short so brutally? How many lives must be lost before this genocide ceases?
Who is going to be next? Countless Reems have had their stories silenced forever by Israel.
Reem was passionate about poetry, writing and translation. She hoped to start her own translation company and I have no doubt that would have become a reality.
She was engaged to be married, and the wedding was planned for November.
Reem’s brother Muhammad lives in Germany, where he works as a doctor. He told me about what happened on 25 October.
That day, he had talked to his family on the phone to check on them.
“Luckily, for the first time, I had a video call with them and recorded it. I don’t know why,” he said. “Then I decided to get some sleep.”
The next time he reached out, only hours later, he couldn’t get a hold of any member of his family.
“Later, I learned that our three-story house was completely bombed and leveled to the ground while they were inside it. I couldn’t believe it. I felt heartbroken.”
His father and mother both sustained injuries but they survived.
Ever since then, he said, his life has been turned upside down.
He remembers his sister for “her vibrant spirit and her passion for translation.”
“She was always ready to lend a hand to those in need.”
Muhammad and his wife named their newborn daughter Reem.
“What pains me deeply is that [my newborn daughter] will grow up without ever meeting her aunt Reem,” Muhammad said.
“Israel robbed me of my sister, a loss I will never forget. If I could have one wish now, it would be to reunite with Reem.”
Yasmin Abusayma is a writer and translator from Gaza.
