Gaza Islamic scholar Wael Al-Zard was interviewed on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas-Gaza) on September 14, 2023 following the "martyrdom" of his son Baraa Al-Zard, who was killed along with four other Gaza militants when an explosive device he was attempting to place along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel detonated prematurely. Wael Al-Zard said that while his children are "not cheap" in his eyes, "Palestine and Islam are dearer and more important to us than ourselves." Al-Zard said that the younger generation will follow in Baraa's footsteps and will complete the path of liberation. Baraa's younger brother Abdallah and his nephew Muhammad were also interviewed, and they pledged to fight and become martyrs just like him.
Interviewer: "How did you feel upon receiving the news of your son's martyrdom, on the morning of that day when you were preparing for his wedding?"
Wael Al-Zard: "There is no doubt that our children – our own flesh and blood – are in our hearts, and Allah knows that they are not cheap in our eyes. They are dear to us, but Palestine and Islam are dearer and more important to us than ourselves.
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"Even if Baraa is gone, these are the generations following in his footsteps, inshallah: This is his brother, Abdallah, this is his sister's son, Muhammad, and this is also his sister's son, Hamza, and there are many others in this generation who still yearn for the moment that they take the banner from Baraa and his martyred brothers, in order to complete the path of liberation, inshallah."
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Interviewer: "How are you, Abdallah?"
Abdallah: "Fine!"
Interviewer: "Will you complete the path of [your brother] Baraa?"
Abdallah: "Yes, I will."
Interviewer: "Now that Baraa was martyred yesterday, what do you want to do for the sake of the prisoners and the homeland?"
Abdallah: "I will fight the Jihad and I will be martyred, just like him."
Al-Zard: "Inshallah."
Interviewer: "Muhammad, what are you going to do after Baraa's martyrdom? Are you going to complete Baraa's path and follow in his footsteps on the same path?"
Muhammad: "Yes, I will do just that and I will be martyred, just like he was martyred, inshallah."
Interviewer: "Inshallah you will leave a mark in liberating the prisoners and our homeland."