Ahmed Omar, the Lebanese father of the Zakaria family, was killed while defending Ukraine as a volunteer in the Ukrainian army. Seventeen years ago, Ahmed fled with his family to Ukraine in search of safety and security. Little did they know that the country which had given them nationality and secured them a decent life would soon be invaded and besieged. Ahmed’s father, Omar, had married a Ukrainian woman and had three kids with her. They decided to leave following failing to obtain identity cards for the children to enroll them in school and due to the absence of health insurance.
When the Russian attack on Ukraine began, Omar and his wife left for the Netherlands while their children stayed behind to defend their homeland. The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused the killing of hundreds of thousands and displacement of millions, turning cities into rubble in vast areas of the country. The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what Moscow did, calling for an immediate stop to military operations and withdrawal of forces.
Ahmed’s death has shattered his family, especially his father. Omar’s hope was to one day return to his homeland, settle in it, or at least stay with his loved ones for a few days. Now, Umm Abdullah, Ahmed’s aunt, doubts anything can make him happy since Ahmed’s passing. People’s lives remain the cheapest thing on this earth, and she wonders how long it will remain so.
The river of blood in Ukraine was swept away by the Lebanese Ahmed Omar, the father of the Zakaria family, who was killed by Russian targeting of his group while he was defending the land of his second homeland as a volunteer in the ranks of the Ukrainian army.
Seventeen years ago, the child Ahmed grabbed his father’s hand and they headed with the rest of his family to one of the shores of northern Lebanon, on a death boat. They left Lebanon for Ukraine in search of safety and security, without expecting that the country that gave them their nationality and secured them the necessities for a decent life would be invaded and besieged. death from all directions.
“Ahmed Rah”.. With these words mixed with tears, choking and pain, “Umm Abdullah” received the news of the loss of her nephew two days ago. His father, Omar, might not delve into the details, as he was grieved by the loss of his firstborn for two sons, and she tells Al-Hurra website, “He told me that He will go from the Netherlands to Kiev to receive his body, so he will take his phone out of service, and the next day he sent me a brief message that he was still on his way to take a last look at who he considered his crutch in this life, and he wanted to lose him and with him his joy.
kill the “dream”
The daughter of Fneideq Al-Akkari, with her memory, goes back to many years, when her brother left Lebanon with his friends to work in Ukraine, and she says, “Omar married a Ukrainian woman and had three children with her, to return following a while and with them to his homeland to settle in it, especially since he had a lung disease that prevented him from being able to Continuing to work, he wanted to be with his family and the people of his town, and for his children to grow up in his country, but unfortunately he was unable to prove his marriage and issue identity cards for his children to enroll them in school, in addition to the difficult economic conditions and the absence of health insurance, which prompted him to decide to migrate once more following He stayed for a few years in Lebanon.
Reluctantly, Omar and his wife packed their children’s belongings, bid farewell to their family and relatives, and with heavy steps walked to the car that took them to the beach. Umm Abdullah says, “Alienation was imposed on him, like a large number of Lebanese. He did not travel in search of luxury and additional income, and he never greedy.” To be one of the rich, to drive the most luxurious cars, to live in palaces, to visit resorts, but rather all he asked for was not to need anyone, but even that is difficult to obtain in Lebanon.
She points out that “whoever thinks that alienation is easy is mistaken, as it strips a person of his roots, and develops his nostalgia for the place he was familiar with since childhood, and the longer it lasts, the greater the nostalgia and desire to return.”
The distance between Ukraine and Lebanon did not separate Omar from his family, as he was constantly communicating with everyone, especially with his sister, telling her regarding his diaries, and the successes achieved by his children in study and work. A Ukrainian woman whom he loved, he and her decided to continue living together despite the ongoing war, as he was a courageous and optimistic young man, not stopped by obstacles, doing everything in his power to reach his goal, but unfortunately the machine of killing and destruction was stronger than him.
Pain fragments
When the Russian attack on Ukraine began, Omar and his wife left Kiev for the Netherlands, while his children remained to defend their homeland, defeat the enemy and regain their freedom. According to Umm Abdullah, “their lives were turned upside down, like the rest of the Ukrainians, by the bloody attack that caused their death.” The killing of hundreds of thousands, the displacement and displacement of millions, and turning cities into rubble in vast areas of the country, and the fragments of the war reached Lebanon, where those who have relatives there live in a state of anticipation, anxiety, and fear for them.
And when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what Moscow did, calling on it to immediately stop military operations, withdraw its forces from it and return to the logic of dialogue and negotiation, “as the best way to resolve the existing conflict in a way that preserves the sovereignty, security and concerns of the two parties, and contributes to sparing the peoples of the two countries and the continent.” Europe and the world, the tragedies and agony of wars.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s position came, according to the statement, “as a result of Lebanon’s belief that all disputes that may arise between states must be resolved by peaceful means, that is, through negotiation, and through mediation mechanisms that are observed by international law, which should remain the only resort for states under the umbrella of the United Nations.”
Omar’s hope was that the day would come when he might return to his homeland, whether to settle in it or at least stay a few days with his loved ones, but following the loss of his son, “Umm Abdullah” does not believe that anything will be able to make him happy, pointing out that “since he Ahmed left and I did not get to see him. The last time I hugged him was when I said goodbye to him as a child before leaving. I waited to meet him and take him in my arms once more, but my wish will not be fulfilled following he paid his soul like a large number of Ukrainians as a result of the material ambitions of a country that wants to expand at the expense of others, so for how long People’s lives will remain the cheapest thing on this earth!”
The tragic story of the Zakaria family is just one example of the devastating impact of war and conflict on innocent civilians. The loss of Ahmed Omar is a painful reminder that behind every headline and statistic, there are real people with hopes, dreams, and families. The Lebanese government’s call for peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and negotiation should be heeded by all nations, as war only leads to senseless destruction and loss of life. Let us remember Ahmed and all those who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world, and work towards a future where peace prevails over war.