Salim Ismail

My name is Salim.

After spending three years working abroad, I came back to Lebanon to get married and start a family. I married Huda my neighbor, whom I had known since we were kids.

We had a baby girl whom we called Rana. I always prepared her bottle of milk before going to work at the construction site. During the weekends, we used to go on picnics and when we did, I dedicated my time to my hobby which was photography. You can see from the photos that Rana was my favorite model.

In 1982, we welcomed our second child, Mohammad. After his birth, we moved in with my in-laws who helped us to look after our children. Knowing that my family was safe, gave me peace of mind, especially after the assassination of Bashir Gemayel which caused immense tension in Saida.

However, on October 22nd 1983, one month after Mohammad’s birth, armed men came to the construction site where I had worked. They took me and my colleague Ahmad who was also Palestinian. We were transferred to a detention center that was situated in Rmeili, on the outskirts of Saida. There we were interrogated and then transferred to Jiyeh. That was the last information that our families knew about us.

Like many of the wives of the missing, I left Huda all alone to raise our little ones. As she struggled to find me, she was also trying to keep her sadness from them. She had to provide for them while trying to maintain the life they had.

But, at night and as the silence sets in, and our children go to sleep, the uncertainty of my whereabouts tormented her.

My name is Salim Ismail. My friend is Ahmad. Do not let our story end here.