The Empty School Desk
A Syrian Twins Tragic Separation
October 20 would have been a normal day; Omar and Ali got dressed, carried on their school backpacks, and left their home in Ariha, a town in Idlib countryside, starting their journey to school.
October’s rather cold mornings can be harsh for two children of their age, especially when the cold breeze touches their faces while walking for more than a kilometer on foot on their way to school. They had no choice but to take this daily commute as there is no closer school to their place of residence.
That day would have passed peacefully, like any other mornings, but everything was changed at eight o'clock, as confirmed by a nearby store’s surveillance camera; a camera documented a tragic moment.
At exactly 9:04 a.m., a shell landed in the middle of the Ariha market in Idlib, northwest Syria, cutting the two children off. One of them was thrown away into a shop, surviving the shell, yet with one feet left.
However, the other child was killed the moment the shell fell.
This is the tale of Omar and Ali, eleven-year-old twin brothers, and their school desk they left empty today!
Spider-Man: A useless Superhero
It was 9 am when the sounds of artillery shelling began to be heard. Someone might have warned the two brothers, Ali and Omar, to seek shelter. Thus, they ran into a shop in the popular market.
The security camera clearly showed the two children hiding inside the shop.
Omar, with a green school backpack, headed towards the door of the shop, followed by his brother Ali, with a school backpack bearing pictures of Spider-Man. They were accompanied by another child and a girl with her father.
The shell fell near them, and it just happened!
Soon after, nothing but rubble and destruction were left! No sounds could be heard over there.
We did not hear Omar's last words, nor did we hear Ali's calls for help before he was taken to a nearby hospital.
On that day, the shell killed Omar and two other children in addition to 6 civilians. Ali, the twin brother, survived!
His school backpack was left behind in the shop, along with the image of the superhero Spider-Man whose superpowers that have been always admired by young children; superpowers that appeared to be useless in a war-torn country.
This photo was taken a week after the attack
This photo was taken a week after the attack
Omar And Ali Are Not Mere Figures
News websites said that 4 children, including Omar, died on that day. However, it is much more than this for those who pass on that street where the attack took place. For them, it is not merely talking about countable figures!
A week after the bombing, we went to the popular market in Ariha. Every detail on this street tells of what happened; broken shop doors, destroyed sidewalk, building in ruins, and the shop where the shell hit the twin brothers.
Upon asking the shopkeeper about what had happened, he just pointed to Ali's bag; a dusty bag kept untouched in a corner.
Not far away from us lies the Omar bin Abdulaziz School, and there we went!
Ali and Omar were less than a kilometer, or a 13-minute walk, away from their school, a distance they did not complete that day!
For several days after the attack, a number of students did not come to school, mourning the loss of their friend Omar and Ali’s injury. For days, the fifth primary grade classroom remained empty!
A week later, this how their classroom look!
Despite the crowdedness of students in the classroom, none of their friends accepted to take their seat.
It was left empty at the front of the classroom.
More than 30 students sitting next to each other. Some desks are shared by 3 of them!
At the school, we went to the teachers and administrators to ask them about Omar and Ali. We did not ask any of the children to avoid affecting their psychological well-being and due to the topic’s sensitivity and the great loss they experience.
Omar and Ali: Two Beautiful Kids Loved by All
A Big Void and A Greater Loss
We met Abdul-Qader Abido, the teacher of the two children, in his classroom. “They were polite and decent students,” he told Tiny Hand, “What happened was just tragic!”
On that morning, Abdul-Qadir was at the school when the shelling of Ariha started. News began to circulate that one of the shells had hit the market and another hit another place, and so on.
The school students hid in shelters and classrooms, while the teachers tried to calm them down. All of the sudden, the shocking news arrived!
“The observatories that follow the bombing told us that Omar and Ali were wounded by the bombing,” said Abdul-Qader, “At that time, they told us that Ali is being treated, and Omar was killed.”
It was never easy for Abdul-Qadir to keep giving lessons to students without Omar and Ali; two of his hardworking students who love to study. “They used to travel a long distance daily to come to school,” he added.
It was a sad week for everyone; the students, their parents and teachers. However, they decided to return to school despite the tragic yet common loss for Syrians.
“Despite their fears, parents send their children to learn, taking the risk of bombardment. We do our part teaching them,” added the teacher, “They are not only our students; they are our children too.”
Besides Omar, more than 55 children were killed in Syria in the past four months alone; something equivalent to one kid per day!
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