Kevin Myers
Wassem Mahmoud is dead. He was killed in action at the age of twenty in Rafa in Gaza on June 24th. Wassem is Arabic for “blessed” or “handsome” and Mahmoud means “praiseworthy” and is an informal cognate of Mohammed. He shared his name with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian hardliner who seeks the extermination of Israel, and with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority.
Wassem, an Arab, was the 311th Israeli soldier killed in action in Gaza since the October 7th genocidal attack by Hamas.
Perhaps the most significant part of Wassem’s life is that he had been wounded on October 7th, had recovered and then sought a return to action alongside his fellow Israelis. His period on frontline duty had already ended when he was killed, but again, he had sought an extension rather than abandon his fellow soldiers, and in that final deed of comradeship, forfeited his life.
You may probably look in vain for any account of this gallant young man’s sense of duty to his homeland, for which, as a Druse and a loyal citizen of Israel, he gave his life, because Hamas insisted that the war must go on.
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