One year later, Majdal Shams residents struggle to ‘live alongside pain’ after Hezbollah rocket kills 12 children

A group of approximately 3,000 people gathered on Sunday at the same soccer field where, just one year earlier, a game of soccer became a terrible tragedy. 

On July 27, 2024, dozens of children and teenagers were playing on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, enjoying a summer afternoon. Their game was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a whistling rocket, as a Hezbollah strike hit the pitch, killing 12 young people, and shattering a community that is still struggling to come to terms with the loss. 

The ceremony honoring the 12 victims was largely attended by members of the Majdal Shams community, however, several politicians were also present. Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz, Minister of the Negev and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Likud party Knesset Member Afif Abed were among the politicians in attendance, along with members of the Druze community throughout the Golan Heights. 

Many dressed in black, and some wore t-shirts depicting images of the 12 children whose lives were taken that day. 

“The lives of our dear and holy children will never be forgotten,” Majdal Shams Council head, Dolan Abu Saleh, said during the ceremony.

“The pain does not let up, but from it is born responsibility, action and community resilience,” he continued. He also linked the community’s pain and suffering with that of their Druze neighbors across the border in Suweida, Syria. 

“We are looking at the lives of our brothers in Suweida from here,” he noted. “Chaos, fear and violence, murdered without defense and without justice. Their struggle is also our struggle, for a basic right to life.” 

Rabia Abu Saleh, father of Amir, who was killed in the missile attack, said, “Here is not a day that we do not hear our child's voice since that day. But we chose not to sink into loss, but to continue to live, to love. The pain transcends any religion, gender or language. In the memory of our children, we are all together.” 

Another resident of Majdal Shams told the Hebrew news site Davar that the deaths have cast a shadow over the community, leaving celebrations more subdued.

“This tragedy changed the village. Two years ago, we had between 150 and 200 weddings in the summer. This year, in the few weddings that took place, there was no real joy,” the resident said. He also linked the pain of Majdal Shams to the pain of Suweida. 

“The pain was very mixed with the pain of what was happening to the Druze in Syria. We hope for better days, of peace and quiet,” he added. 

“A year has passed, and the pain is only increasing,” Laith Abu Saleh, the father of Fajr, told Maariv. “We live alongside the pain, and I live every day the trauma of seeing my son die in my hands. Our whole family is shattered. We try to commemorate Fajr every minute, anywhere, every opportunity, in the hope that it might make it a little easier for us – to remember and remember him in every way.”