In the city of Khan Younis within the Gaza Strip, a young mother named Afnan al-Ghanam faced the unimaginable. Just over a year ago, she experienced the birth of her first child in the midst of war while still residing at their now-destroyed home. As her second pregnancy progressed, the family found themselves living in a temporary tent camp, clinging to a fragile ceasefire that offered a fleeting sense of peace.
However, on a quiet Tuesday morning before sunrise, tragedy struck. An Israeli airstrike devastated their makeshift shelter. Al-Ghanam, who was seven months pregnant, and her young son, Mohammed, both lost their lives. They were two of over 400 Palestinians, primarily comprising women and children, who perished after Israel initiated a surprise air offensive across Gaza. According to Israel, these attacks targeted Hamas installations to pressure the group into releasing hostages and surrendering control of the territory.
Among the grief-stricken, al-Ghanam’s husband, Alaa Abu Helal, struggled with overwhelming sorrow and disbelief as he cradled Mohammed’s small body at the Nasser Hospital morgue in Khan Younis. “This is their target list,” he lamented, gazing at his son’s lifeless form. “He was brought into this world amidst conflict and left it in the same way.” Abu Helal expressed his anguish over what he described as the targeting of innocent lives who had barely begun their journey.
This latest wave of violence shattered a ceasefire that had offered a semblance of respite for Gaza’s exhausted residents. For weeks, the people had begun to piece together their lives after enduring over a year of bombings, ground assaults, displacement, and scarcity. In response to Hamas’ attacks on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, Israel commenced its military operations, claiming the effort was directed solely at stopping the militant group’s activities. They attributed civilian deaths to Hamas’ tactics, accusing them of mingling within the populace.
During the strike, Abu Helal was visiting their home in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza. The tent in Muwasi, a vast camp sheltering displaced families near Khan Younis, offered what they thought was a temporary refuge. Their home in Rafah, already damaged by ongoing conflict, was left vulnerable, prompting his visit to safeguard against looting and assess its condition.
Al-Ghanam, aged 20, along with young Mohammed, had remained in Muwasi. Abu Helal, now enduring profound loss, reflects on the breach of safety they sought when leaving Rafah just months earlier. Their escape was meant to shield them from the intense Israeli military campaign that decimated the city while engaging with Hamas fighters within it.
“You run from the war to save your family,” Abu Helal shared, revealing his heartache. “And now, even here, I find them taken from me. They are all gone.”
