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Turmoil in the Middle East

Death and destruction

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.

Sir, – As a doctor who has lived and worked in Lebanon, I am deeply distressed by Israel’s ongoing attacks in Lebanon and Gaza. An expression in Lebanese Arabic that has come to mind in recent days is “to’borni,” a term of endearment meaning “May you bury me.” More poignantly, it can be understood as, “May I die before you, so I don’t have to live even one day without you.”

Today, this tender phrase carries a tragic weight. Over the last year, thousands of families in Lebanon and Gaza have been forced to bury their innocent loved ones after waves of senseless violence.

I also remember the victims of Hamas’s attacks on October 7th, whose families endure similar grief.

More death cannot be the answer. – Yours, etc,

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Dr RALPH HURLEY O’DWYER,

Rathmines,

Dublin 6.