Shaaban Ahmed al-Dalou, a 20-year-old Palestinian software engineering student, tragically lost his life in a tent fire caused by an Israeli airstrike on the courtyard of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza. The attack killed four people and injured over 40 others, leaving his family devastated.
Footage captured the horrifying moment when Shaaban, engulfed in flames, screamed for help from within his tent. The fire destroyed multiple tents, claiming the lives of Shaaban and his mother, as reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
In a heart-wrenching account, his younger brother, who chose to remain unnamed, recalled that fateful night: “At 1:30 a.m., our tent was hit. I was sleeping in the next tent and couldn’t save them. I watched them burn.”
Tears streaming down his face, he continued, “Shaaban and my mother burned to death in front of my eyes. Our family is now scattered, each of us in a different place. My sister was injured and hospitalized, and my father is also in a hospital in Khan Younis.”
The family had been displaced after their home was destroyed in an earlier airstrike, forcing them to seek refuge in a tent on the hospital grounds. Despite the ongoing conflict, Shaaban remained dedicated to his education, studying online and often traveling long distances to find internet access in hopes of securing a better future for his family.
However, that tragic night, when Israeli warplanes targeted their encampment, Shaaban had no chance to escape. The flames overtook him and his dreams, extinguishing a young life filled with hope.
