Gaza – Madleen Khalla – SafaOn the shores of the Gaza sea, when the voices subside and only memories remain awake, “Umm Mustafa” Al-Razayna sits before the sea, counting names she loved. She does not count the years of her life as much as she counts the faces that passed through her life like waves, amidst a warm presence followed by emptiness.At the heart of that memory stands the name of Ali, the eldest son, who was born far from home, and returned to it carrying the story of a family that lived between southern Lebanon and Palestine.In his family’s memory, the name of the martyred leader Ali Al-Razayneh does not begin from a field or organizational position, but from a warm home filled with his cheerful presence and kind heart.“Abu Al-Baraa,” as his family called him, was a brother close to their little details, joking with them and being kind to them, and he could not bear to see a tear in his sisters’ eyes, so he would rush to wipe it away before it fell.Nariman Alloush, the Lebanese mother, who linked her fate to that of a young Gazan man who carried a rifle on his shoulder and a stolen homeland in his heart, left her border town in southern Lebanon and tied her life to the Gazan Fathi al-Razayna and became attached to him, leaving her family and joining the fight against the occupation in southern Palestine, raising her children on the principles she lived by and bidding them farewell one after another, some as prisoners and others as martyrs.dutiful sonAli Fathi Al-Razayna was born on April 20, 1981, the firstborn of a family that lived between camps and stations of migration.Ali grew up in a home where he learned the meaning of belonging early on, as his parents were involved in national work in Lebanon, and his mother, “Umm Mustafa,” was part of that path. Upon his return to Gaza in 1995, “Abu al-Baraa” carried with him the memory of exile, and grew up among the alleys and streets of the Jabalia camp, witnessing harsh transformations that marked the life of his generation.“Um Mustafa” reminisces about the years as she compares the Tel al-Zaatar, al-Bass and Burj al-Barajneh camps in Lebanon with the Gaza camps where she lived through successive invasions and wars.She tells Safa News Agency: “I have never regretted it for a moment… Palestine and Lebanon are one wound and one blood, and in Gaza are my family and my people.”She adds, “Ali, Mustafa’s twin, was not only kind to me, but he was also compassionate and loving towards his sisters, and his strength would be shaken by a tear falling from one of their eyes.”She continued, “His work circumstances required him to be away from us and his home for a long period, but this absence did not make him neglect us. He was keen to check on us every now and then, whether by his personal presence or by some correspondence.”
Details of his lifeAli grew up amidst a family experience burdened with loss and patience, and chose a public path that carried great responsibilities. He was away from his home, his children, and his family for a long time, and his meetings with his family were brief, imposed by the circumstances of the time.However, his human presence remained present in their small details; a cheerful, affectionate brother who could not bear to see a tear in his sisters’ eyes, as his sister Amal told Safa News Agency.She says, “When I was injured in the 2014 war, he insisted on visiting me despite the danger, and he stayed by my side in the hospital for days, comforting me and patting my head until he said goodbye to me so I could travel for treatment.”She adds, “I remember in 2018 I was sad and the weather was very stormy, and he called me and felt that I was not well and told me to get ready to go wherever I wanted. I told him I wanted to go to the sea and he took me there. That day he did not put down my wheelchair, but carried me in his hands and hugged me and fed me with his hand.”She continues, “He would take time out of his life to ease everyone’s pain; his military work was not a barrier between him and his humanity towards his family.”She adds, “Military work had a great impact on Abu al-Baraa’s personality, as he would be away from home, his wife, his children, and us for long periods, and we always longed to sit with him like other families who sit with their children for a long time.”Due to his organizational position, he was obligated to adhere to certain regulations governing his social interactions, especially during periods of heightened security tensions, as his sister explains.She continues, “During the Israeli war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, news of him was cut off from the family for long periods, and his visits to my family were quick and fleeting and at widely spaced intervals.”A busy journeyRegarding his joining the military action, Amal says: “My brother Ali is like all the honorable sons of this nation. He saw the injustice, tyranny, and crimes of the Zionist enemy, and he believed that the only solution to get rid of this usurping occupier and expel him from our homeland is to resist him.”She adds, “Abu al-Baraa was raised in a resistance-oriented household. My father joined the ranks of the Palestinian revolution in Lebanon in his prime, and even after returning to the homeland, he continued to struggle with his free pen, and he raised us on this honorable path, and he always educated us about the homeland and the occupier.”She continues, “Although Abu al-Baraa lost his son Baraa and his daughter Lana and was injured several times in the war of extermination and previous wars, he remained steadfast and committed to his approach and principles, which require sacrificing everything for his just cause.”She added: “Abu al-Baraa was martyred, standing tall as a hero, and he raised our heads high, after a journey full of achievements written in blood and sacrifice, adding to my family a new medal of pride and honor.”On February 4, Ali al-Razayna and his youngest daughter were martyred when occupation aircraft targeted his tent in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, concluding a long journey of struggle and sacrifice in defense of the homeland. On the path of sacrifice, Gaza, Lebanon, a martyr ‘s journey
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