The Boy of the Al-Aqsa Flood
An opinion article on Palestine Online tells the story of Suhaib al-Labbad, a sixteen-year-old boy from Gaza who appeared in combat scenes during the Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood. The writer compares Suhaib to the Companion Usama ibn Zayd and mentions that an Israeli strike in November 2023 destroyed his family home in al-Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza, killing his mother, sister, and three brothers. The writer stresses that this incident is not an explanation for his appearance on the battlefield but another face of the story of a child who found himself in a brutal war.
In an opinion article published by Palestine Online, writer Shadi Abu Sabha recounts the story of Suhaib al-Labbad, a sixteen-year-old boy from Gaza who appeared during the Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood as the youngest among those shown in combat scenes. The writer draws parallels between Suhaib and Usama ibn Zayd, the Companion who led the Muslim army at the Battle of Mu'tah at the age of fifteen, as well as al-Bara' ibn 'Azib and Rafi' ibn Khadij, who participated in early battles. The article mentions that in November 2023, an Israeli strike destroyed Suhaib's family home in al-Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza City, killing his mother, sister, three brothers, and other relatives. The writer emphasizes that this incident is neither an explanation for Suhaib's appearance on the battlefield nor a reduction of him to the idea of revenge, but rather another face of the story of a child who found himself in a brutal war that shaped his character and reality before their time. The article concludes that ages are measured in years, but stances make heroes, turning the young in age into those with lives larger than their years.