The Israeli attack on Gaza has left more than 28,000 casualties in 4 months, with 70% of them being women and children. Some were crushed by aerial bombs, others shot by snipers at street corners, or fell victim to tank shell explosions, leading to an unprecedented wide-scale massacre.
Le Monde, in a detailed report by journalists Benjamin Bart, Samuel Foray, Ghazal Ghaleshiri, Louis Empert, Clothilde Maravco, and Majid Zarrouki, traced the journey of 9 civilians aged between 3 and 70 among the 28,000 victims. This count excludes bodies buried under rubble, estimated to be several thousand, and those left on the streets.
Palestinian writer Elias Sanbar recounts, “People say that before entering Gaza, you must take off your shoes because you are walking on the dead.” Here are their stories:
Bilal Jadallah: The Spiritual Father of Journalists in Gaza
On September 8, 2014, Bilal Jadallah planted 17 olive trees in the courtyard of the Press House he founded a year earlier in memory of 17 journalists who were killed during the Israeli war that year. He called on the international community to press Tel Aviv to halt attacks on journalists and their establishments. On November 19, 2023, journalist Bilal Jadallah (45 years old) was killed alongside his brother-in-law Abdul Kareem Abid in a car as they were heading to southern Gaza. They were fired upon by an Israeli tank positioned outside downtown Gaza City.
Lubna Mahmoud Alian: Aspiring Violinist
Lubna Mahmoud Alian (14 years old) dreamt of becoming a world-renowned violinist. At the age of 12 in 2021, she convinced the jury of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Gaza to grant her a scholarship, stating that she was “ready to face the challenges.” Two years later, on November 21, 2023, she lost her life in an Israeli shelling of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Hala Khreis: The Grandmother with the White Flag
Hala Khreis (58 years old) led a procession of around 30 parents and neighbors attempting to flee the Ramallah neighborhood, besieged by the Israeli army on November 12, 2023. As they reached a crossroads, an explosion ensued, causing Hala and her 5-year-old grandson to be killed.
Rim Nabhani: The Child in the Yellow Dress
Rim, a 3-year-old girl, and her 5-year-old brother Tareq were killed in an Israeli bombardment of their home in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. Just hours before the attack, the children had pleaded with their grandfather to let them play outside.
Sufian Tayeh: The Academic from the Refugee Camps
Sufian Tayeh (52 years old) met an abrupt end on December 2, 2023, during an Israeli shelling on Jabalia, where he grew up in impoverished alleys. A refugee camp inhabitant, he excelled academically, earning a doctorate in Physics and later becoming the president of the Islamic University of Gaza.
Nahda and Samar Anton: Parishioners of the Holy Family
The Holy Family Church houses the remains of Nahda (70 years old) and Samar Anton (50 years old), a mother and daughter shot dead by an Israeli sniper on December 16, 2023.
Dunya Abu Mahsen: The Orphan Student
Dunya Abu Mahsen (12 years old) recounted her ordeal from a hospital bed in Gaza, filmed by an International NGO advocating for children’s rights. Three weeks later, on December 17, 2023, an Israeli tank shell struck her bedroom, instantly killing her.
Khaled Masoud: The Music-Loving Policeman
Khaled Masoud (49 years old), a police officer from Jabalia, hoped to provide for his six children. In late December 2023, his house was bombed, leading him to seek refuge at his brother’s home. On January 19, 2024, while fetching food, he disappeared.
New Death at the French Institute in Gaza
Rami Fayyad, who worked at the French Institute in Gaza for 20 years, passed away on Thursday, February 8, due to a respiratory illness worsened by a lack of medication caused by the Palestinian territories’ blockade.
These poignant narratives reveal the human cost of the conflict in Gaza and the devastating impact it has had on innocent lives.
