Gaza journalist Mariam Abu Dagga’s final letter to her son

Mariam Abu Dagga, a Gaza journalist who was killed on Monday in an 'Israeli' airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex, penned a touching will for her son in case she was killed.

Abu Dagga, 33, was a visual journalist who had been freelancing for the Associated Press (AP) since the start of the war.

Before her killing, Abu Dagga left behind a letter addressed to her son, Ghaith, filled with words of love, faith, and hope for his future.

Read more: Prominent Gazan journalist: “If these words reach you, Israel succeeded in killing me”

“Ghaith, you are the heart and soul of your mother. I want you to pray for me and not cry over me, so that I can remain happy. I want you to raise my head high, to work hard, excel, and be capable. I want you to become successful my beloved.”

She urged him to remember her always, writing, “I used to do everything just to make you happy, to keep you joyful and comfortable, and to provide everything for you. And when you grow up, get married, and have a daughter, name her Mariam after me.”

Her letter ended with a mother’s final plea. “You are my love, my heart, my support, my soul, and my son whom I am proud of. I will always be happy hearing of your good reputation. A trust I leave with you, Ghaith: your prayer, then your prayer, then your prayer, my dear.”

In Gaza, many people are now writing their wills ahead of time, not because of age or illness, but because they fear they may not live through the next day. Parents write farewell letters to their children, and in some cases, children have drafted parting words to friends, and families leave behind messages for the world, just in case an 'Israeli' airstrike ends their lives without warning.

It is a heartbreaking ritual that no one should have to endure. For people in Gaza, the act of preparing a will has become a way of ensuring that their voices are not silenced, even if they are killed. These letters are filled with love, advice, and pleas for remembrance, final words they hope will outlive the destruction around them.