Lebanese TV Host Hoda Chedid Breaks Down During An Interview With Siblings Of Beirut Port Blast Casualties: This Is The First Incident In Lebanon That Hurt Every One Of Us; They Hurt The Entire Lebanese People

Lebanese TV host Hoda Chedid broke down during an interview with siblings of Beirut port blast casualties. She said: "This is the first incident in Lebanon that hurt every one of us." Chedid's show was aired on LBC TV (Lebanon) on July 11, 2021. She said that she feels as if she herself has lost a brother or a sister in the blast, adding: "They hurt the entire Lebanese people." The sister of Amin, who was killed in the blast, said that she supports the investigator judge and that Lebanese leaders are corrupt criminals. She said: "They killed our dream." The sister of Gaya,  another casualty of the blast, said that the victims of the blast did not choose to go to war or to die for their country, but they were victims and were just going about their daily lives when they were killed.

Amin's sister: "I would like to say to the [investigating] judge [Tarek] Bitar that I am here for him. We are your strength, we are your support, we are your word. He said to us: 'It was your brother, but it could have been my son.' I would like to say to him: May Allah give you strength. [Our leaders are] corrupt, they are criminals. In the past they were corrupt, but now they have become criminals [as well]. They killed our dream. They did not just kill Amin of Gaya, they killed us all. All of our lives have changed. Look at our homes – there is no happiness in them."

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Hoda Chedid: "I do not know if... I really... I wanted to ask Mariana the same question about [her sister] Gaya. Where was she, and where was she supposed to be now? I really feel that this is the first incident in Lebanon that hurt every one of us. You lost your brother, but I feel like I lost my brother. You lost your sister, but I feel like I lost my sister. They hurt the entire Lebanese people. I do not want to say more... Go ahead Mariana."

Gaya's sister: "It is like I said before – this time is different from all the others. Therefore, this time we also say that our cause is different. This time, the explosion was not part of a political assassination, or whatever. All those who died were victims. These are people who were at home, at work, at a restaurant, or taking a walk. These were people with dreams and hopes for the future. These were not people who ran into the fire [of war], or people who said they were going to die for the country. My sister studied abroad for three years, and before her fourth year, she came back [to visit] Lebanon just so she could be with her family – with her mother, her sister, and her father. What for? So that an explosion would come and take her life?"