DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza – In a tragic turn of events, a Palestinian ambulance worker made the devastating realization that the lifeless body he was transporting was that of his own mother. She had fallen victim to an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday in central Gaza.

“Oh God, I swear—she’s my mother! I didn’t know it was her!” Abed Bardini cried out as he held the head of his mother, Samira, in his hands. Despite the support from his fellow Red Crescent colleagues, their attempts to comfort him proved futile in the face of his grief.

Unbeknownst to him, Bardini had been sitting next to his mother’s body, which was covered in a blood-stained white sheet, as the ambulance traveled approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) toward the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah on uneven roads. Reports from Palestinian health officials, along with eye-witnesses, indicated that the Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Maghazi refugee camp, resulting in three deaths and at least ten injuries. Among the deceased was Samira Bardini, aged 61, who was struck by the explosion while standing nearby the targeted car.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Bardini, demonstrating his professional training, unloaded the stretcher. However, squinting against the harsh late afternoon sunlight, the grim reality of the situation set in when medical staff opened the blanket to search for any signs of life, leading to his emotional collapse.

Once his tears were spent, he found himself in the morgue beside his mother’s body, his head buried in his hands. His Red Crescent colleagues gathered around to provide the much-needed support, and they conducted a funeral prayer in the hospital’s parking lot. Bardini ultimately assisted in transporting his mother’s body into the ambulance for her final journey to burial.

While a spokesperson for the Israeli military has yet to respond to the airstrike, Israel maintains that their operations are focused aimed at Palestinian militants, emphasizing their intention to minimize civilian casualties. Tragically, these airstrikes continue to affect innocent lives, including those of women and children.

The ongoing conflict, which ignited following the October 7 attacks by Hamas-led militants that resulted in around 1,200 Israeli casualties and approximately 250 abductions, has seen Israel retaliate with a military campaign in Gaza. This response has reportedly claimed the lives of over 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who have not clarified how many of these individuals were fighters, though they state that a significant proportion were women and children. As of Wednesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry recorded an additional 102 deaths within just 24 hours.