Local Free Palestine Speaker Reveals Family Killed in Gaza Strike

The Los Alamos community received a solemn update on December 21 from Dr Yousef Aljamal, a writer and human rights worker who joined the county Free Palestine Summer Series this past summer. Living in exile in Turkey, Dr Aljamal reported that a missile struck his family home in Gaza on September 27, killing nine immediate family members as they slept. The announcement has resonated here because Dr Aljamal participated in a local speaker series that drew diverse voices and community members.

The dead included his brother Abood, Abood’s wife Sarah, and their daughters Huda and Zainab. His sister Ghalia, her husband Yousef, and their daughters Mariam and Zainab were also killed. Among the deceased was Dr Khaled, a pediatrician who served children in his community. Dr Aljamal said his sister Mariam and her children were pulled injured from the rubble. He has since lost a total of 16 immediate family members since the start of the war.

In a first person account describing the strike and its aftermath, Dr Aljamal detailed how his sister had sent him a list of 24 relatives the night before seeking evacuation and how survivors faced the grim task of identifying loved ones from scattered remains. He described relatives repairing their shattered home to live in because it was better than living in a tent, and he conveyed the deep personal anguish and survivor guilt that followed these losses.

For Los Alamos residents, many of whom attended the summer series, the update is a direct reminder that global conflicts reach into local civic life. Public events that bring international speakers to town can create lasting personal connections between neighbors and people living under very different circumstances. The account also highlights the need for local institutions to consider outreach to residents with transnational ties, including access to mental health services and community forums that acknowledge grief and displacement.

As the community moves through the holiday season, the report from Dr Aljamal serves as a call to remember the human consequences of distant conflicts and to consider how local civic leaders, nonprofit organizations, and residents can offer support to neighbors affected by international crises.