Israel kills Khaled Nabhan, one year after killing his grandchildren Reem and Tariq

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Israel killed on Monday the Palestinian man who gained worldwide recognition grieving for his three-year-old granddaughter last year.

Khaled Nabhan lost his 3-year-old granddaughter, Reem, and her 5-year-old brother, Tariq, in November last year in an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

According to a reporter, Nabhan was killed in an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat camp.

– ‘Soul of my soul’ –

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.”

He displayed exemplary patience, resilience and poise in the face of tragedy and through his kindness helped shatter stereotypes of Muslims in traditional religious clothing.

His heart-wrenching story went viral worldwide and dominated world media.

“Reem, she is my darling. My heart is broken. I sleep and wake up and my eyes are full of tears. We lived in the same house with Reem. I used to play games with her every day. I wouldn’t just call her ‘darling.’ I would call her ‘my heart, my two eyes.’ I miss her very much,” Nabhan told the media at that time.

“I never thought that our children would be bombed. Yes, my heart aches. They filmed me and everyone saw it. I wasn’t even aware that I was being filmed. But there are many others here who weren’t caught on video and whose hearts are burning,” he said.

– Humanitarian icon –

Following his grandchildren’s death, Nabhan turned to relief work to help other Palestinians struggling to live under Israeli attacks.

He took part in distributing food in Gaza for Palestinians who are on the verge of famine in the blockaded territory.

In June, Nabhan, also called Abu Diaa, appeared in a video while feeding stray cats in the enclave.

During its genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.