News / Palestine

'Soul of my soul': Palestinian grandfather behind viral elegy killed in Gaza

Monday, 16 December 2024 4:59 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 December 2024 5:21 PM ]

Khaled Nabhan playing with his three-year-old granddaughter Reem who was killed in an Israeli attack in November 2023. (File photo)

Sheikh Khaled Nabhan, a Palestinian man whose heart-wrenching tribute to his martyred 3-year-old granddaughter touched the world last year, has been killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza City.

Nabhan was killed along several others after a wave of aerial attacks and artillery strikes targeted Gaza City and the al-Nuseirat refugee camp on Monday.

The grandfather gained widespread recognition on social media after a heart-wrenching video showed him mourning his granddaughter, who was killed during Israel's bombardment of the camp in November 2023.

Images of Nabhan made headlines as he embraced the lifeless body of his granddaughter, bidding farewell as he kissed her eyes and stroked her hair and face, calling her the "soul of my soul."

Humans of Gaza: 3-year-old Reem, grandfather’s ‘essence of soul’#HumansOfGaza #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/2ldbvfv0SS
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) December 1, 2023

Three-year-old Reem was killed alongside her 5-year-old brother Tareq in the Israeli bombardment of their home in the area. Reem’s mother Maysa was also severely injured in the attack.

"We woke up to the rubble falling on us because of Israel's bombing of our house in Nuseirat Refugee Camp," Nabhan said at the time.

Overwhelmed with grief, Nabhan affirmed his faith in God, seeking refuge in the divine sanctuary.

He now joins his granddaughter a year later, after both being mercilessly killed by the Israeli occupiers in the #Gaza genocide.

Sheikh Khaled Nabhan "Abu Diaa". Rest in power.#SouloftheSouls https://t.co/OW1SjOUEdf
— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) December 16, 2024

He remained steadfast despite relentless bombardments and Israeli calls for evacuations.

Nabhan publicly expressed his determination to stay in his home, calling on Islamic countries and organizations to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

After the death of Reem and being displaced by the Israeli military, Nabhan again went viral as he was filmed helping feed other Palestinians in Gaza.

Humans of Gaza: 3-year-old Reem, grandfather’s ‘essence of soul’

Reem and her 5-year-old brother Tareq were both killed when an Israeli airstrike brought down their home after hitting the Al Nuseirat refugee camp in southern Gaza.

His experiences became symbolic of the loss suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.

For over 14 months, the Israeli army has been bombarding the besieged Palestinian territory, with humanitarian zones, schools, refugee camps, hospitals and residential areas, all targeted.

Last month, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said women and children comprised nearly 70 percent of those killed in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s campaign of genocide in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Israel has slaughtered over 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. More than 106,000 Palestinians also grapple with injuries due to the vicious Israeli campaign of ethnic cleansing.

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