Muhammad Aweidah, 18 years old, returns from his work at the Firas Market in Gaza City, where he slaughters and sells chickens. Ashamed, he covers his face as he hears those around him whispering about his late father, Ashraf Abdel Samia Aweidah. His mother, Khatam, as is her custom, goes to check in on him and asks him, "What’s the matter? Why all of this grief?” He responds saying, "All the people are saying dad was a collaborator." With all the tenderness of a mother, and the certainty of a wife who spent more than 20 years with her husband, she admonishes him saying, “Your father was honorable all his life, and you know full well that he died a wronged man."
Khatam’s husband, Ashraf Aweidah, was killed by armed groups in Gaza on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, during the most recent shelling of the Gaza Strip. His body was tossed into one of the streets of Gaza City with a paper attached to him that labeled him an Israeli informant and the reason behind the assassination of dozens of Palestinian leaders.