Cengiz Songur

Our destination is Palestine. Our cargo is humanitarian aid, and we joined the fleet from Izmir. When he told his family that he would set out to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, one of his six daughters slipped a letter into his pocket.

Cengiz Songür noticed the letter in his pocket on the ship. The letter begins, 'I have hundreds of sentences to write to you, but my words are knotting up. I'm scared, Dad. As I see the sadness in my siblings' eyes and the worry on Mom's face, I'm scared. But go, Dad, even if it means losing you in the end... For a orphan's smile, for a mother's prayer, go, Dad... Even if only your name returns... It's so, so beautiful to be your daughter...,' says one of his daughters.

The 47-year-old father of seven proudly shows the passengers on the ship the letter. He was martyred with the letter in his pocket during Israel's attack on the Mavi Marmara ship on May 31, 2010.

After Cengiz Songür was martyred by Israeli soldiers, his daughters conveyed their emotions through a farewell letter. 'Fear, Israel. Feel the fear in your bones. This time, the fathers are coming swimming. This time, the fathers carry marbles in their mouths instead of stones in their hands. Fear, Israel. The Lord who destroyed the mighty elephants with tiny stones sends their fathers to destroy you with marbles in their hands. Fear, Israel. The believers are now standing right beside you. At first, I thought the sparkle in your eyes was the glitter of a star. I said the smile on your face was the bitter pain of parting. But bullets were raining down on you, and that smile was the eagerness to achieve martyrdom. Now I don't know where you are or what condition you're in. Don't mind the moisture in my eyes, Dad; I'm only crying from childhood. Otherwise, I stand tall watching you, occasionally showing your face to my daughter; she still thinks you've gone fishing. Sometimes, she asks about the real weapons in your hands, mistaking the Israeli soldiers for the fishing rods. They are the killers of their friends.' I couldn't say, Dad, because I always learned mercy from you. I could only say, 'They are the ones who don't want Grandpa to fish,' to my daughter. But, Dad, freedom will come from the sea, not fish. Freedom will come from the hands of Palestinian children. Your finest gift will be freedom. Now I'm sure, Dad, you are free, we are free, Gaza is free, Dad.

Cengiz Songür was one of the nine martyrs martyred on the ship. May Allah accept his martyrdom.