The grieving mother speaks to "I" about three nights of shelling and shrapnel scattered from every direction 
 Sally.. was killed by an Israeli shell before she finished her breakfast 
 We were sitting at the breakfast table and heard an explosion after we took our second bite. 
 I found Sally covered in blood, looking at me, unable to speak.

“Please, Sally, look at me… open your eyes,” with these words the mother of the martyred child Sally Balata (9 years old) was pleading with her as she took her last breaths, hoping that she would wake up, get up and return to life. But she did not heed the plea, and passed away before achieving her family’s dream of seeing her grow up and complete her education and life, as befits human beings.

The story began when the Israeli extermination army launched a military operation in the eastern areas of Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, where the family of the little girl Sally had no choice but to stay in those areas, instead of being displaced and homeless again, despite the danger threatening her life.

Her mother told Al-Quds.com: “I was displaced from my home in Gaza City to the central area more than 12 times, and every time I suffered bitterly from the hardship of displacement. When I found a place to take refuge in, however, the occupation quickly declared it to be among the red zones.”

She added: "We lived three nights under death, the sounds of artillery shelling shaking the house, the quadcopter did not leave the area, and shrapnel was flying at us from every direction, not to mention the shooting and bullets falling next to the door of the house."

On the morning of August 27, 2024, at exactly nine o'clock in the morning, her mother was preparing breakfast for her family. The bereaved mother added: "We all sat at the breakfast table, had the first and second bites, and then we heard the sound of an explosion and we did not know what happened."

Screaming here and there, everyone was injured and no one knew what had happened to them. Her mother said: “My husband and my children Zeina and Ahmed ran away. I looked closely at them, but I did not find Sally running with them. I found her sitting in her place, not moving a muscle.”

Drenched in blood, unable to speak 
She added: "I ran towards her unconsciously and found her covered in blood, but she was looking at me and unable to speak or move. Her back was full of shrapnel and bleeding profusely. I grabbed the towel and tried to close the wounds and stop the bleeding, but to no avail."
She continued: "I washed her face with water and breathed through her mouth hoping she would wake up, but her face became paler and turned yellow and she passed away."

Her screams as she told her husband that "Sally is dead" never left her mind, as she was sleeping in her arms.. She still cannot comprehend how she left her forever.

Her father carried her despite his injuries, and ran quickly towards the stairs of the demolished house, which was full of stones. Her mother recounts: “He fell more than three times while carrying her, and he did not realize the seriousness of his injury. He later discovered that he was suffering from fractures in his body.”

The martyr Sally and all her family members, who suffered moderate to serious injuries, were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, but what the family did not expect was for the hospital to be out of service, after the Israeli occupation army ordered the evacuation of its surroundings.

The grieving mother says: “My daughter Zeina is suffering from fractures in her foot, and she has not found a doctor to treat her or even photograph her, and the shrapnel is still in her hand, not to mention the shrapnel in my hands and my husband’s feet.”

Sally left a mark of love in the hearts of everyone who saw her. 

As for Sally, as her mother described her, she was like a butterfly, like a shadow, light-hearted, and had a cheerful face. She left a mark of love in the hearts of all who saw her during the displacement journeys. She added: “She was the one who managed all of our affairs, waiting in the water lines, and she did not return until she had completed her tasks.”

What about her last days before her martyrdom? Her mother said with tears on her cheeks: “She was wearing a white shawl wrapped around her entire body, and she was holding roses in her hands, as if she was wearing a shroud.”

She added: "I don't feel that I am grieving for her in the way that I should be. There is no room for grief here. She is the only one who deserves to be cried over forever."

Regarding the dream of the little girl Sally, who was killed by Israel in the blink of an eye without mercy, her mother said: “Her father is a doctor and people used to rush to him to treat their children and stitch their wounds, and Sally was the only one who was not afraid of needles like the others, and she helped him with that.”

Sally dreamed of becoming like her father, a wise woman who helped people and sewed their pain together. As she always told them, she was “strong-hearted and fearless.”

Her mother hopes that her daughter's story will reach the whole world, and that everyone will know about her. She continued by saying: "It's not a loss, God willing. Praise be to God for God's will, and we will meet in heaven."