Gaza doctor who lost three kids in IDF op tapped for Nobel Prize

Palestinian Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, whose three daughters were killed during Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip earlier this year, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Army Radio reported on Monday.

The nomination was announced by Belgium's state secretary, who described al-Aish to the Arabic-language daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat as a "soldier of peace." The doctor has been awarded honorary Belgian citizenship "in recognition of his efforts in service of humanity," said the state secretary.

According to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, Minority Affairs Minister Professor Avishay Braverman has called Dr. Abu al-Aish to congratulate him, calling the nomination a victory for humanity.
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Abu al-Aish, a father of eight who was trained in Israel, became one of the symbols of the Gaza offensive after he was broadcast on television immediately after an Israeli shell killed three of his daughters and his niece.

In a report drenched with sobs, al-Aish said he hoped his three daughters would be the last victims of the fighting in Gaza, and that their deaths would help bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

"I want to know why my daughters were harmed. This should haunt (Israeli Ehud Prime Minister) Olmert his entire life," Abu al-Aish said on Israel's Channel 10, speaking through a cell phone in Hebrew as he has throughout the war.

He added that his daughters were "armed only with love."

The IDF shelled the al-Aish home after troops reported having been fired upon by snipers situated in the house adjacent to theirs, according to an IDF investigation.

The troops identified suspicious figures in the upper levels of the doctor's building, and deduced that they were serving as observers, directing the sniper fire from their vantage point.

The Israeli commander on he ground decided to fire tank shells at the building, hitting al-Aish's home and killing three of his daughters.

Abu al-Aish had denied that there were any militants in the building at the time of the shelling, but thanked those responsible for investigating the incident by saying that "we all make mistakes, and we don't repeat them."

"I have two options - the path of darkness or the path of light. The path of darkness is like choosing all the complications with diseases and depression, but the path of light is to focus on the future and my children. This strengthened my conviction to continue on the same path and not to give up," al-Aish said after the release of the investigation's conclusions.

The 55-year-old gynecologist trained in Israeli hospitals and speaks Hebrew.

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Comment by ahmad on April 8, 2009 at 12:56am: yes theres hope we cant live with out hope

Comment by Khaled on April 7, 2009 at 10:22pm: Hope that this will create an end to all wars in the world especially in the Middle East...

Comment by Majed Abusalama on April 7, 2009 at 7:24pm: it,s very beautiful to give Dr abu alish nobel prize for peace , he is friend of mine and my family and i kney the very beautiful daughter of him , they was will be when i was in his house after the war , i saw book with name of dream of peace for his daughters, i hope if we can work like we speak about the peace.
publish the peace culture between the israelian and the palestinian.

i hope if the israelian soldiers can allow to be to be with the education peace workshop in jureslem soon , when they don,t give me any answer , and i told them , iam peace activites and i have alot of israelian friends, i hope if they can give me the accept to enter Gaza soon to speak about the peace and to work for peace with my israelian peace friends.

best wishes
in peace with hope

Comment by Esperanza on April 7, 2009 at 5:56pm: My Honour to this Good man and all his followers! Also to Belgium!

May ALL follow this Great man´s pathway of Light!

Comment by heather on April 7, 2009 at 5:44pm: Dr. Abu al-Aish is now in Canada. He had been offered a position at the University of Toronto, on the very same day that this horrible crime took place. He has now accepted the position and will be bringing his remaining five children to live in Toronto. His work in Gaza and in Israel meant that he crossed the border every day, and had many friends on both sides of the line, working tirelessly to help women of both Arabic and Jewish descent. He is a true symbol of peace in this troubled world. Congratulations to this great man!

Comment by Sandra Reis on April 7, 2009 at 5:37pm: He´s a rare human being, an example for all peace makers.
God bless his heart!!

Comment by Sharon R. Aldridge on April 7, 2009 at 3:49pm: May God bless Dr. al-Aish and his family and congratulations, sir. You deserve this great honor! Sharon

Comment by John Dialo on April 7, 2009 at 2:33pm: Dr Abu is a rare man. A peace loving and caring leader, a leader whose love surpasses the frontiers of his homeland, a leader who doesn't hide behind the greedy idea of national interest,a leader whose nationality is planet earth, a doctor whose patient is anyone, whose theater could be a cave.a father whose love for his children is everlasting, a man whose example if emulated will bring peace to the Middle East. Let this prize be a symbol of your peace loving heart and let it motivate the hearts and minds of the good people of the middle east so that together they will join hands to bring the peace that is much desired in this part of the world. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

Comment by Beatrice LATEUR LACROIX on April 7, 2009 at 1:29pm: Let us be inspired by such a faith, such a heart and, as Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, let us be incarned Love.
Love and Peace

Comment by gill on April 7, 2009 at 10:25am: God rest their souls... blown up by HAMAS and not Israel, please know this. I cannot let that go unsaid.
Their deaths are tragedies but the murderer is HAMAS.