Sundus Baraka

Sundus was in the 7th grade. She was everything to me. There was an age gap between us, but we understood each other. She was focused on her studies and success, and was so happy with her 6th-grade graduation photos. She was excited to start middle school. On the Thursday before the war, she told my mother that she dreamed of excelling in her high school exams and becoming a doctor. She had so many dreams and great passion! The occupation bombed her family's home in Deir al-Balah. She was killed along with her mother, Hanan, who was both a mother and a father to us. She left a huge void in my life, and was killed along with her grandparents, her uncle and aunt, her uncles' wives, and five other children from the family.