The direct Israeli targeting of the doctor James George Karam’s car and his two children Tony and Theodosia on the Nabatieh-Khardali road left nothing behind. The car was completely burned, and the flames consumed everything inside, including the bodies.

Nothing was found among the ashes except the Holy Bible and a prayer book, through which the grieving wife and mother was able to identify her only family members.

Tony, aged twenty-one, saw his future in engineering and in building a different tomorrow. Theodosia, aged twenty, had transferred from the University of Balamand to the Lebanese University to continue studying medicine, pursuing an academic path through which she sought to achieve her professional dream.

They had finished their exams shortly before the moment of the strike and were on their way back from a journey of knowledge and learning, unaware that it would be their final journey.

In the town of Qlayaa, the shock is still weighing heavily on the residents. The parish priest of Saint George, Father Antonios Eid, describes the family as one of the most loving and present families in the town, noting that Dr. James was known for his service to people and his closeness to them, while condemning what happened and expressing shock at the incident.

Doctor James George Karam and His Two Children Tony and Theodosia

In the town of Qlayaa, the shock is still weighing heavily on the residents. The parish priest of Saint George, Father Antonios Eid, describes the family as one of the most loving and present families in the town, noting that Dr. James was known for his service to people and his closeness to them, while condemning what happened and expressing shock at the incident.

He recounts to Annahar the moments when the wife received the news, saying that she entered a severe state of denial and kept repeating: “Nothing has happened to them, nothing has happened to them,” before reality imposed itself harshly. Nevertheless, the mother deeply knew that her husband and two children had indeed passed away, and that she had become alone after losing her entire family.

Between a dangerous route and the path of education and knowledge, the incident sparked a wide wave of controversy, accompanied by criticism directed at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with many pointing fingers at the Minister of Education, Rima Karami, over the insistence on holding examinations in person.

In this context, Father Farah confirms that the people of the region have been living under exceptional conditions for months, and that fears of similar incidents have been repeatedly raised. He notes that since the Israeli army entered the town of Dibbin and the vital road was cut off, repeated appeals were made to the Ministry of Education to adopt exceptional solutions that take into account the circumstances of students in border areas.

He adds: “We are not against education or against the Minister of Education personally, and we do not want Lebanon to lose the importance of education, but we are demanding that these exceptional conditions we are living under isolation and siege be taken into account."

"Today we are facing two difficult choices: education or life, and these are choices that cannot be balanced. We do not want to be outside the framework of Lebanon, but our reality is actually different from other regions.”

Regarding educational promises, Father Farah notes that “we have not received any promises so far from the Ministry of Education,” while the Lebanese University has indicated that it will understand the circumstances of students who are unable to attend, after its president Bassam Badran contacted the mayor of Qlayaa and requested a list of students’ names.

Efforts are also underway to communicate with private universities, while MP Melhem Khalaf has pledged to follow up on the issue with various universities to find appropriate solutions.

He concludes by saying that “the martyrdom of Father Pierre earlier represented a pivotal moment in the history of Qlayaa, and here are Dr. James Karam and his two children joining the convoy of martyrs of the town, which has lived through wars throughout its history in which it was not a party."

"As always, we reject these wars imposed on us, but we have remained steadfast, not to confront anyone, but to preserve our land and our homes.”