Current:Home > MarketsDetroit-area doctor grieves the loss of 20 relatives killed during Israel’s war against Hamas -Momentum Wealth Path
Detroit-area doctor grieves the loss of 20 relatives killed during Israel’s war against Hamas
View
Date:2025-04-24 23:14:24
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Each time Dr. Emad Shehada’s phone rings, the suburban Detroit pulmonologist worries that it could be more bad news about loved ones in Gaza.
He said that so far, 20 cousins and other relatives have been killed since the start of Israel’s campaign against Hamas following the militant group’s deadly Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel that set off the war.
More than 11,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people have been reported missing.
More than 1,200 people in Israel died, most of them in the Hamas attack, and about 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by Palestinian militants.
Among those Shehada grieves are his cousin, Mohammad Khrais, three of Khrais’ children and 19-year-old Mayar, who was pregnant.
“When you hear about these conflicts, your heart is broken for all these people that they die,” Shehada told WXYZ-TV for a story Thursday. “But when it hits somebody you know, it’s totally different.”
“It’s been horrible,” he added. “A hell of a month. I mean, it’s a nightmare that does not want to end.”
Shehada, whose medical practice is north of Detroit in Rochester Hills, was born in Kuwait and lived in Syria before moving to the United States about two decades ago. He studied at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Both his parents were born in a village outside Gaza. They now live in the United States. Shehada, 47, also has one sister in the U.S., but another remains in Gaza, he said.
The two communicate via text messages because listening to her tear-filled voice as the war rages is difficult, Shehada said.
“The house next to my sister was struck by a missile where I had 12 relatives living there,” he said. “That house was only 10 meters (32 feet) from my sister’s house.”
veryGood! (192)
Related
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Shop 50% Off Shark's Robot Vacuum With 27,400+ 5-Star Reviews Before the Early Amazon Prime Day Deal Ends
- For the first time in 2 years, pay is growing faster than prices
- Super PAC supporting DeSantis targets Trump in Iowa with ad using AI-generated Trump voice
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Exploring Seinfeld through the lens of economics
- Inside Clean Energy: Explaining the Crisis in Texas
- Exploring Seinfeld through the lens of economics
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Over $30M worth of Funkos are being dumped
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Get Glowing Skin and Save 48% On These Top-Selling Peter Thomas Roth Products
- Phoenix shatters yet another heat record for big cities: Intense and unrelenting
- Baltimore Continues Incinerating Trash, Despite Opposition from its New Mayor and City Council
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Can TikTokkers sway Biden on oil drilling? The #StopWillow campaign, explained
- Powerball jackpot hits $1 billion after no winning tickets sold for $922 million grand prize
- Warming Trends: Americans’ Alarm Grows About Climate Change, a Plant-Based Diet Packs a Double Carbon Whammy, and Making Hay from Plastic India
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
We found the 'missing workers'
In Three Predominantly Black North Birmingham Neighborhoods, Residents Live Inside an Environmental ‘Nightmare’
Thousands of Amazon Shoppers Love These Comfortable Bralettes— Get the Set on Sale for Up to 50% Off
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
A “Tribute” to The Hunger Games: The Ultimate Fan Gift Guide
California toddler kills 1-year-old sister with handgun found in home, police say
US Taxpayers Are Spending Billions on Crop Insurance Premiums to Prop Up Farmers on Frequently Flooded, Unproductive Land