Letter from Gaza on Humanity

Many will remember Hussam El-Kholi, the firefighter from Gaza. In 2009, a private citizens’ initiative invited him to Italian-speaking Switzerland and gave him a modern prosthetic leg. His right leg had been torn off by shrapnel from an Israeli missile while Hussam was rescuing the wounded. That gesture allowed him to return to life with the awareness of his worth as a man and as a father.

I had a long WhatsApp conversation with Hussam’s wife, Fatima.

After their home was destroyed, they now live in an apartment in Gaza City. They are waiting for the Israeli army’s order to leave—without knowing where to go. They are in the Al-Daraj neighborhood; residents of the adjacent area have already been forced to flee.

Hussam’s prosthetic leg is broken and unusable, due to his constant movements in search of food for the family of seven, Fatima explains. When the moment comes, Hussam will flee from the tanks hopping on one leg, carrying his shattered prosthesis under his arm.

On April 23, 2024, I wrote a Letter on Humanity to the Swiss Federal Council, to remind them that once, Switzerland had shown generosity to this family. Shortly after, I sent a handwritten letter to a prominent political figure, asking if it might be possible to arrange temporary schooling in Italian-speaking Switzerland for the El-Kholi children—so they could be spared from the violence and devastation of the Gaza Strip, and from the absence of classes. Fatima truly hoped so: at least the children out of Gaza. Finally, I wrote to a senior federal official responsible for the matter.

No one replied.

When I explained this to Fatima, she answered only: “No problem.” In her voice—as a mother and as an intelligent woman—resonated the awareness of not mattering in the eyes of others.

I told her that no, she does matter, and so does her entire family. They always will. It is painful and embarrassing to have only words.

This time, the letter on humanity is written from the family Al-Kholi in Gaza—to all of us.

I will keep readers of Faccia updated on what happens to the El-Kholi family.

(gianluca grossi)

Here you can watch the documentary (Storie, RSI) that I made to recount the 44 days Hussam and his brother Nabil spent in Switzerland.