GAZA CITY, Palestine

A video footage showed a young Palestinian man engulfed in flames inside his tent after an Israeli airstrike on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. 

The 20-year-old man, Shaaban Ahmed Al-Dalu, a software engineering student, screamed for help while being consumed by flames.

The fire destroyed several tents, killing four displaced Palestinians, including Shaaban and his mother, and injuring over 40 others, according to the Health Ministry.

“Shaaban was not just a brother, he was a friend and a backer. Losing him is unbearable,” said his younger brother, who did not give his name.

In tears, the grieving brother recalled the tragic 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.

“Shaaban and my mother burned to death in front of my eyes. Our family is scattered now, each of us in a different place. My sister was injured and hospitalized. My father was also hospitalized in Khan Younis,” he added through tears streaming down his face.

Shaaban’s family was displaced after their home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, forcing them to take refuge in a tent on the grounds of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city.

Despite the war, he remained committed to his education, studying online. Each day, he had to travel long distances to access the internet and keep up with his classes.

His efforts were driven by the hope of securing a better future for his family, which had been forced into displacement by the war, his brother explained.

However, that night, when Israeli warplanes targeted the tent encampment, Shaaban had no chance of escape. The flames, faster than he could flee, consumed him and his tent, extinguishing both his dreams and his life.  

Final messages

Before his death, Shaaban shared a post on his Instagram account expressing his suffering under Israeli war.

“I used to dream big, but the war destroyed those dreams. It has overwhelmed me, leaving me physically and mentally ill. I suffer from depression and hair loss due to the ongoing trauma,” he wrote.

He also expressed hope for a brighter future for his family and the children enduring the horrors of war, calling on people to support the displaced Palestinians and ease their suffering.

“The most painful moment that night was watching him burn in front of everyone, with no one able to help. The flames consumed everything, and no one could get close because of the massive fire,” his brother recalled.

Despite the hardships caused by the Israeli war and siege, Shaaban clung to his dreams. He memorized Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and aimed to build a better future for himself and his family.

He worked tirelessly to help his family cope with the devastating circumstances of the war, his brother said.

“A week before he was killed, Shaaban was reciting the Quran at the mosque near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. He finished reciting it around 1 a.m., and about half an hour later, Israeli warplanes bombed the mosque. He miraculously survived that strike,” he added.

Shaaban suffered minor injuries in that attack. He returned to stay with his family in their tent on the hospital’s grounds, unaware that in a few days, he would reunite with his companions from the mosque.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.  

*Writing by Mohammad Sio