Two Medical Students from Classmate to Martyrdom: Nour Ra’fat Labed and Saja Al-Mashi

The records of the ongoing genocide in Gaza are of a unique value for the remembrance of the victims of these brutal atrocities, and as a tribute to their memories, ensuring that this dark stain on human history is never forgotten. As of today, 50,000 children, women and men from every profession and age group have been brutally torn from life. For the past 450 days, day and night, across all units of time- every second, minute and hour- 2.3 million people like prey in a continuous hunt, are relentlessly chased, killed, burned, torn apart, starved, left without shelter, and the world continues to watch.

Yet, those who have been torn from life, whose bodies have been disrespected, and to whom even a grave is denied, as well as the 2.3 million women, children, men and elderly who have been starved, frightened and dragged into a dark abyss of hopelessness for weeks are all human beings just like any one of us. Each of them has a story, a family, and a dream for the future. The dreams, futures and lives taken from them are, in fact, a profound shame, and an insurmountable trauma for every person on this planet.

In this article, I invite you to meet two young girls from Gaza. Both were third-year medical students. Nour and Saja were studying medicine at Al Quds University. Both of them were murdered when their homes were targeted, planned, and deliberately attacked by the Israeli occupation forces.

Nour Ra’fat Labed

Nour Ra’fat Hassan Labed was born on June 25, 2004. Nour, a third-grade medical student at Al-Quds University, was the daughter of martyred doctor Ra’fat Hassan Labed. May Allah have mercy for both of them.

Nour was killed in the attack where Israeli occupation forces directly targeted their house on November 17, 2023. In the same attack, the benevolent and selfless doctor of Gaza who was also the father of Nour, Dr. Ra’fat Hassan Labed was martyred along with his other daughter Suhad and other people from the family. In this repeated never-ending and unsurprising manhunt that is carried out by Israeli occupation forces and these meaningless purposeless attacks solely aimed at creating violence and chaos, tens of often hundreds of innocent civilians mostly children, and women are being slaughtered every single day. Thus, the victims of the massacre carried out on November 17, 2023 were the Labed family.

Dr. Ra’fat and his family had been fasting for a week including the day they were killed, maybe because there was already insufficient food and it was out of reach because of the intentional blockade or perhaps with this opportunity some tranquility could come to their stifled souls. Dr. Ra’fat was targeted with his family while striving to cure people’s troubles and spread healing. He was attacked when people of Gaza needed his specialty and help the most. Dr. Ra’fat and his precious help, his life and his daughters Nour and Suhad‘s lives were stolen with Israeli occupation forces’ barbaric, aimless and meaningless attacks. Just like their lands, country, children, dreams and futures.

As expressed by hundreds of experts worldwide, Israeli occupation forces in the ongoing genocide in Gaza are especially targeting some professions, some sectors and some infrastructures. At the forefront of these professions and sectors are health and education. In these attacks that were aimed at dehumanizing and destroying any future hope of the people in Gaza and Palestine, hundreds of doctors are targeted according to a specific plan and strategy. The records of the attack in which Dr. Ra’fat and his family were murdered reveal that the family’s home was specifically targeted, highlighting that the occupation’s targeting of healthcare workers is one of hundreds of such examples.

The friends of Nour remember her brilliant smile. She approached everyone with warmth and kindness, living up to her name, which means ‘light’. As the family’s oldest daughter, she was the source of support and joy for them. The radiance of these luminous souls seemed to continue shining, even in the lifeless bodies of Nour and Suhad found after seven months and thirteen days. In their bodies, despite the passage of such a long time, no significant change had occurred, and perhaps as a miracle of martyrdom, the radiant smile on their faces was still vivid when they were found.

Nour was treating his family and siblings, as if she was their mother, balancing her academic duties and her deep bond to her family. Her brother Aboud who is a senior high school student remembers her with gratitude as a patient helper and a confidant with whom he shared his secrets.

Nour also memorized the whole Quran at an early age by taking an education at Um al-Dardaa Center. She not only memorized the Quran, but also embodied its teachings in her actions and morals. Nour who was known for her passion towards charity work was a pioneering figure in acts of kindness and charity, almost like a soldier leading the way. She was a productive young person with a passion for illustration and painting. She had a deep love for art, expressed through her drawings that reflected her vibrant personality. She chose to have a career in medicine following her martyred dad’s footsteps.

     Nour reached her martyrdom with pride and honor. With her passion for her profession, her love for humans and her brilliant smile she will continue to shine in our sky.

Saja Al-Mashi

Nour’s classmate Saja, the second young medical student who was targeted and killed by Israeli occupation forces.

Saja Ra’fat Salem Al-Mashi was a third year medical student at Al-Quds University, just like Nour. She was born on March 7, 2003. She was martyred with her family in a destructive airstrike in El-Maghazi camp, located at the center of Gaza, in the early hours of June 12, 2024. The two people who survived from her family were her brother who lives abroad and her married sister who was not home during the incident.

Saja was extremely resilient and hard-working. She did not lose any of her vitality, despite the hardship that her family went through. She made it into medical school with a great effort and started her education. His father was struggling with a severe illness and as the sole breadwinner, her mother was working tirelessly day and night to support them.

Saja was a really good student. Completing her high school education with an extraordinary success such as %99 on 2021. Saja aimed at the scholarship which was given only to the best students just for not being a burden to her family and she qualified for the scholarship with a score of 99,7.

Saja acquired an excellent GPA by maintaining her success in the first two years of university. She was not just a student but also a symbol of virtue and courtesy. Saja, before graduating high school, memorized the whole Quran just like her friend Nour and remained faithful to the Quran in her life and deeds. Saja was the top of her class every year at university.

Her friends always remember Saja for the respect and compassion she showed to others, and they recall her kindness and generosity. She aimed for excellence in everything she pursued, starting with her academic education. She worked hard for it and left beautiful marks on everyone she touched and met.

Saja, yes at a very early age, was brutally taken from life in the prime of her years. But she had always aimed for the summit, and is there a greater peak than martyrdom? Saja, contrary to what her enemies desired, has reached her goal by becoming a martyr in the service of her people and dreams. The memory of Saja Al-Mashi will continue to live on as a legacy to humanity as a testament to her refusal to surrender to the enemy and as proof of her hope and faithful spirit. May Allah have mercy on her.

I would like to thank Alaa Abu Halime, journalist-author Mustafa Ekici and Sudenaz Coskun for their contributions.