Trauma to strength: One year on, Lebanese pager attack victims reflect on life, loss, and resilience

 
By Hiba Morad

An eight-year-old Lebanese boy whose father was severely injured in last year’s pager explosions in the country says he “will pluck out Netanyahu’s eyes when he grows up.”

Speaking to the Press TV website, Hussein said Israel “will pay dearly for its crime against Lebanon,” and promised he would one day join the resistance to fight Israel and “bring its existence to an end.”

On September 17, 2024, the Israeli regime remotely detonated handheld pagers and other communication devices across Lebanon, killing more than 40 people, including children, and injuring some 4,000 others.

According to medical sources, most of the wounded suffered injuries to the face, eyes, hands, chest, and waist. The complex terror attack, widely condemned as cruel and indiscriminate, was intended to pressure Hezbollah into halting its strikes in support of Gaza.

Contrary to reports in Western media, the overwhelming majority of victims were innocent civilians: men, women, and children trapped in a storm of sudden, devastating violence.

The blasts ripped through homes, supermarkets, cars, busy streets, and crowded public spaces, leaving behind shattered bodies, broken families, and an enduring sense of grief.

More patient, determined

To the victims of the pager explosion and their families, things will never be the same again.

The victims and their families were traumatized by an unprecedented, heinous crime in the history of humanity. However, remarkably, these people proved to be resilient and have shown more steadfastness today, including children who have matured significantly after the terrorism.

“Many things have changed since that gloomy day. However, to us, despite the hardships, it changed for the better. I learned what patience really means. I realized the value of health and family, and started to appreciate every second of my life,” Jaafar, one of the victims, told the Press TV website.

Jaafar lost his left eye and sustained severe injuries in his skull, face, neck and fingers, and had to undergo multiple surgeries after his pager detonated as soon as he held it in his hand that day.

“The injuries, of course, changed the course of my life. I lost one eye, and my left hand is badly injured. But my strong faith in God has helped me get through this painful and tough phase to a great extent,” he told the Press TV website in a freewheeling conversation.

He said he sees life differently now. “I prioritize what is truly important in life now, try not to waste time and see every single day as a chance to work, thrive, and be grateful,” he explained.

Unlike what Israel believed, Jaafar, like hundreds of other pager victims, says the cowardly attack has only made him more determined to resist and fight the Israeli regime, defend his own country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“The attack only pushed me further to adhere more to this path, made me more attached to my right to defend our land and dignity,” he added.

A new future

The serial explosions exactly a year ago had a boomerang effect as they strengthened the resolve of victims to remain steadfast on the righteous path, a path that knows no humiliation.

“Now I have a new goal for the future. I have come to get acquainted with my new talent in chanting and reciting Ashura eulogies. I realized that I have a good voice, and I will use it to recite poetry and eulogies to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, which is the story at the heart of Shia thought,” Jaafar told the Press TV website.

For Shia Muslims, Ashura stands as the most solemn and sacred day of the year, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein — a defining event that lies at the very heart of Shia faith and identity.

“I will be the injured reciter who will echo the pain and turn it into a blessing, and revive the memory of Ashura and use my voice to awaken the conscience of people, play a new role in my society, in addition to doing my primary work, which has not been hampered to a great extent," he noted.

"I will serve as a live witness to the criminality and savageness of Israel, and my body will speak even louder than my voice.”

Plucking out Netanyahu’s eyes

Jaafar’s wife, Fatima, says their eight-year-old son, Hussein, simmers with anger every time he sees his father’s injuries caused by the pager terrorism, vowing that one day he will take revenge.

The boy repeatedly vows that he will “pluck out Netanyahu’s eyes” when he grows up, in retaliation for the attacks that left his father severely wounded and martyred dozens of Lebanese.

Forced to mature far too quickly, Hussein insists that Israel “will pay dearly” for its horrendous crimes against the people of Lebanon. He promises that, without doubt, he will join the resistance when he is older – to fight Israel and bring its existence to an end.

The trauma of the blast left deep scars. For months, Hussein was separated from his father as Jaafar underwent multiple surgeries and long, grueling treatments. Though reunited now, Jaafar’s recovery remains ongoing, with continuous hospital visits and further minor operations still ahead.

Hussein struggles to accept how brutally life has changed, but his bond with his father has only grown stronger. Alongside that bond, his determination to take revenge on Israel, and on what he mockingly calls “stinky Netanyahu,” has hardened.

Across Lebanon, thousands of families share the same fate and the same stories of resilience. Many echo the same message: that Israel’s attack, instead of breaking them, has forged stronger families bound together by deeper love, patience, and resilience.

A lesson for life

When asked how their lives have changed, Jaafar’s wife, Fatima, told the Press TV website that they now feel the responsibilities have grown.

“For one year, our lives have changed a lot. Responsibilities of course have increased, we learned what resilience and patience mean, and we live now grateful every day and are thankful more than ever that we have realized the true importance of safety and health,” she stated.

She added that the ordeal has been nothing short of a “lesson for life” for the family.

“This experience teaches us resilience and steadfastness. It is painful to go through the healing process, seeing our loved ones suffer pain and undergo a lot of treatment, but it makes us patient and allows us to stand firm in the face of these challenges together. With patience and solidarity, we will overcome this phase.”

The tragedy has, in fact, deepened the bond between many pager victims and their families, leaving society more united and integrated than ever before.

“I became fonder of my husband after the injury. It is very appealing to me how patient he is. His strong faith constantly inspires me now and makes me fall in love with him over and over again every single day. My love for him is deeper and his love for me has strengthened. We will overcome this hardship together, with patience and gratitude and we will rise stronger than before,” Fatima said.

Pager victims and their families have now become a powerful new asset to the resistance in Lebanon.

“The attack has not shaken our beliefs and foundations. I still strongly believe in the choice of resistance, fighting injustice, occupation and the right to defend our dignity and independence," she told the Press TV website.

"I believe we are doing the right thing; adhering to our values and remaining steadfast in the face of the enemy, and I am certain this is the secret behind our strength, and this is the case with the other victims and their families that I see from time to time while continuing the journey of therapy.”

A thriving love

Mohammad Jawad and his wife Kawthar, who were engaged when the pager terrorism took place in 2024 and are now married, also recounted their story to the Press TV website.

“Many things have changed since the pagers' explosion. We, as injured, still undergo treatment and surgery, and of course, it is exhausting," said Jawad.

"We suffer pain and exhaustion, we have to reshuffle the cards in our lives in a manner that suits our situation, but life will go on, only in a different frame and for sure a stronger spirit.”

He said the pager terrorist attacks were traumatizing for the entire Lebanese community, including those who were not affected, as it revealed the uglier side of the Zionist enemy.

“We are experiencing life from a new perspective, but what is certain is that Israel wanted this to be a setback, but it ignited our resilience and adherence to life and to the choice of resistance,” he said.

“Many of us experience pain, have to let go of a certain lifestyle, certain chores or hobbies due to the injuries sustained, especially those who have lost their sight completely. Thank God I still have one eye. It was a shockwave that hit our community, bringing about tough challenges.”

The smallest blessings…

He said he sees and defines life differently now and has come to cherish the tiniest blessings.

"I see the tiniest blessings, my faith has become stronger, I am grateful to have my loved ones who supported me throughout this difficult phase and I am more attached to them now. This bitter experience was a blessing to our society; it drew people closer to each other and to God.”

According to Jawad and his wife, adherence to the resistance is not only an ideological matter that can be destroyed, as Israel and its allies intended to do.

“We are people who love life, but we are facing a criminal enemy that did not mind to viciously detonate telecoms devices of more than four thousand Lebanese people, injuring children, women and men who are living their ordinary lives, their crime is that they have chosen to hold on to life and refuse to surrender to occupation,” he told the Press TV website.

“The Israeli entity does not want to even give us the chance to exist, let alone our right to live in dignity and freedom. This is an existential war we are being exposed to. Israel wants us not to exist, and this, in our opinion, is Israel’s wish for all the people of the region.”

A ticking bomb

According to Jawad, Israel created a new group among the different groups of the Lebanese society: the pager explosion community.

“Israel actually created a ticking bomb in its face, an entire community that is more determined than ever to annihilate the Israeli regime and put an end to its crimes in Lebanon, Palestine and the entire region," he stated.

"Everyone of us, young and old, will come back to take revenge on the Zionist entity.”

Stronger and happier

Jawad said he plans to continue his studies and build a family, with his wife—who stood as a pillar of strength by his side during the darkest days of his life—supporting him every step of the way.

“I am pursuing my academic education now. I will build a happy family and contribute to crushing Israel, which I think is the goal of every one of us, and of course, our children and community. My plans for the near future are to finish my studies and start working.”

“I am here today, I am alive, recovering and coming back to life stronger and happier, and this is what Israel does not wish to see. Israel wants us weak and destroyed, but we all are stronger, happier and more determined than ever.”

He quoted Tamim al-Barghouthi as a response to Israeli threats, which translates to: "the enemy says to us, 'Let whatever be,' so we say to them, ‘Let what should be.’

This poetic expression reflects a defiant and resolute stance in the face of adversity, where one accepts any challenge or outcome but on their own terms and conditions.

Jawad said that every victim will, in one way or another, either continue pursuing what they love or discover new hobbies that suit their circumstances.

“As for me, I will continue reading diverse books from now on with one eye,” he said, smiling.

An inspiration

For her part, Jawad’s wife, Kawthar, expressed deep admiration for her husband, saying her affection has only grown since his injury, as she witnessed his patience and strength firsthand.

Kawthar described that entire period as unbelievably difficult: the pager explosion, the ensuing vicious Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other leaders, and the displacement and deaths of thousands.

Yet she emphasized that by now, Israel must understand that “we are a people who are unbeatable, and the harsher the hardships, the stronger we become.”

She added that the entire resistance community draws inspiration from Imam Hussein and the Ashura school of thought—a society of minds and souls that cannot be broken.

Her husband is just one among thousands who have proven their resilience in the face of immense hardship.

“My husband truly inspires me, I have lived with him throughout this experience since the first moment, and have witnessed all the pain, patience, tolerance, and strength he has shown," she said.

"He is a true hero in my eyes. This crime has brought us closer to one another, and has made us more determined to continue on the path of resistance together hand in hand.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir