His wife and twins were noted on the list of victims, which was circulated online. “Around 25 members of my family, all martyred.”Īccording to local reports on Tuesday, at least 19 members of the Youssef family were killed in the strike. “My brothers, their children, and their cousins,” Youssef says.
He says about 25 of his relatives died that day in Khan Sheikhoun.
Youssef says he collapsed and awoke a few hours later in a hospital bed to a shocking reality - much of his extended family was dead. Syria’s military has denied using chemical weapons and blamed rebels for the carnage. Investigations are underway to determine who was responsible for the Tuesday morning attack that left at least 70 dead, according to activists. Youssef’s wife and children were among the victims of what is feared to be the deadliest chemical attack in years in the country. “My kids, Ahmad and Aya, and my wife… they were all martyred. They had all been on the floor,” Youssef told CNN on Wednesday, sobbing. “There was foam on their mouths, there were convulsions. Panicked, he rushed back to his home to check on his wife and babies. Youssef arrived in his parents’ house to find his two brothers dead. On Tuesday, airstrikes battered an area near their local bakery, meters from Youssef’s home.īut it wasn’t just any attack - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been accused of using chemical weapons in the strikes that rattled the rebel-held area while many were still sleeping. Youssef and many members of his extended family live on the northern edge of Khan Sheikhoun, a town in Syria’s Idlib province. Rushing outside to check on his parents next door, Youssef passed people staggering and falling in the street. Apparently unharmed, he passed them to his wife and told her to stay in the house. Leaping from bed, Youssef scrambled to make sure his 9-month-old twins were still alive. He awoke, finding it difficult to breathe. IDLIB PROVINCE, Syria – Abdul Hamid Youssef says the attack shook him from a deep sleep.
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