Shaban Al Dalou was tragically killed in an Israeli air strike in central Gaza. Photo: Instagram
During the early hours of Monday, Israel targeted Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, with an air strike. Videos of the attack and the ensuing fire quickly spread across social media. Footage from the aftermath showed Shaban Al Dalou, who was due to turn 20 on Wednesday, lying on his back amidst burning debris, his arms waving as flames surrounded him. The family of Shaban, who was seen burning to death in footage broadcast globally, described their overwhelming emotions as the camp was engulfed in flames. The 19-year-old Palestinian had been documenting life in war-torn Gaza through social media, hoping his family would one day find safety.
The graphic footage has sparked significant concern among Israel's allies regarding its conduct in the war in Gaza. The US State Department has called the incident 'horrific.'
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. A still image from a video shows Palestinian Shaban Al Dalou lying on his back amidst burning debris. Photo: Reuters
Three other individuals perished in the attack, including Dalou's mother, Ala'a Abdel Nasser al-Dalou, 37. 'I can't describe the feeling. I saw my brother burning in front of me and my mother was burning,' recounted Dalou's younger brother Mohammed, 17, who fled the tent upon hearing the blast. The initial scene was captured by several witnesses and subsequently shared online, appearing in news reports worldwide. Reuters verified the time and location of two videos by matching structures, debris, and benches.
Mohammed, the brother of Palestinian Shaban Al Dalou, who was burnt to death in an Israeli strike.
A journalist contracted by Reuters who arrived at the scene later filmed a rescue worker lifting Dalou's charred body, wrapped in a blanket. Israel claimed the attack targeted a Hamas command and control center at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, and is investigating the cause of the fire, speculating it was likely due to a secondary explosion. Israeli officials have not disclosed what might have caused the secondary explosion to ignite the tents.
A boy looks on at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people at Al-Aqsa hospital
Israel's military asserted it had 'conducted a precise strike on terrorists operating inside a command and control center in the area of a parking lot' next to the hospital. 'The IDF is taking numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence,' the Israeli military stated. In one of the videos reviewed by Reuters, a series of over 20 small bangs were audible amidst the fire, along with two small explosions that sent sparks flying. A medic at the hospital suggested those blasts were caused by cooking gas canisters exploding, though Reuters could not immediately confirm this independently.
People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people at Al-Aqsa hospital.
'I heard the sound of bombing, I looked out and saw very black smoke next to our tent,' said Mohammed al-Dalou, speaking to Reuters at the strike location in Deir al-Balah, where charred ground and twisted debris lay between still-standing tents. He ran out of the tent and saw his father rescuing his younger siblings. Then he saw his older brother Shaban engulfed in flames. He tried to reach him but was held back by others.
Dalou's aunt Karbahan al-Dalou and her family were also present. 'I suddenly woke up to fire burning towards me and my children,' she said. She witnessed her nephew and sister-in-law burning and waving their hands. 'I can't describe to you how disturbing it was,' she said at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis where her family was taken after the fire.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023, attack when Hamas breached border defenses and raided Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies. More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza.
