"I lost the most beautiful flowers of my life," Raja Khatib, who lost four family members in the Iranian missile strike on Tamra in the early hours of Sunday, told Ynet.
His wife, Manar Al-Qasem Abu Al-Heija Khatib, 45, and his two daughters, Hala, 13, and Shada, 20, as well as their relative, Manar Diab Khatib, 41, the wife of Raja's brother, Ihab, were pulled from the rubble lifless by rescuers.
"I lost an amazing wife who was everything to me," Raja said. "Everything was destroyed in seconds."
Raja, an attorney by trade, described Manar as "a teacher, successful and a wonderful woman who raised the children in the best way possible. Just a week ago, we were on a trip abroad, enjoying ourselves, and yesterday, unfortunately, that happiness turned into tragedy and pain." He recounted: "I entered the house and went up to the second floor, and then the missile struck. I managed to save my daughter Razan and tried to save Manar, Hala and Shada, but I couldn't."
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With pain emanating from his voice, Raja added, "I never imagined I would be left with just one child. It won’t be easy to recover. My daughter and I need treatment before we can even begin to process this horrifying loss. What is needed now is to stop the war everywhere, because we civilians are paying the price."
Ihab, Raja’s brother, said that his wife was also a teacher: "She was a professional and honest educator, and everyone loved her. I always heard positive and joyful comments about her, and sadly, everything was destroyed in seconds. I lost an amazing wife who was everything to me."
He described how, "15 minutes before the sirens, Manar called me and told me something was about to happen. A few minutes later, a missile hit, and my family informed me that my wife had been killed. It’s hard to put into words the love I had for my dear wife. She will always remain in my heart. I demand that the war stop so we can continue living in peace without risking our lives. We don't want to lose more people."
Hours after the deadly missile explosion in Tamra, six people were killed in a direct hit on a residential high-rise in Bat Yam in central Israel. The Bat Yam strike claimed the lives of a 10-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, three women in their 50s, 60s and 80s and a young man around 18. More than 100 others were wounded. Numerous neighboring buildings also sustained damage. Home Front Command teams are still searching the area for several people reported missing.