Their son Ibrahim was caught in the crossfire with his brother Mohammad and was badly injured.

His mother decided to take the life of her son into her own hands.

“An ambulance, an ambulance. Where could I find that ambulance? I said to them: 'Give me a needle and thread, scissors, cologne and cotton wool' and I saw one small bullet hole …right near the heart,” said Ibrahim's mother Umm Akhmad Djokha.

All her efforts were in vain. Umm Akhmad stayed with her child's body for four days. After Ibrahim was buried, the family left Gaza.

Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza strip after a fragile six-month ceasefire between Hamas and Tel-Aviv expired. The sides were not able to agree on conditions to extend the truce.

The operation's aim was to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Southern Israel.

Ibrahim’s brother Mohammad recalls the spot where he and his brother came under fire.

“Ibragim was holding a white handkerchief in his raised hand. He was standing right in front of me. I didn’t see the sniper, only suddenly – bang! A bullet hit him straight in the heart. The sniper was right above him. Ibrahim threw up his hand and fell to the ground,” described Muhammad Djokha, Ibrahim's brother.

According to latest figures provided by Palestinians, 1,434 Gaza residents were killed during the war. Two thirds of them were civilians.

Israel insists that Hamas inflated the number of casualties and says it has the names of more than 700 Hamas militants killed in fighting.