SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Khaled Nabhan and his granddaughter Reem were both killed in separate Israeli bombardments of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, Palestine.
(Photo: Nabhan family)
Israel Kills Palestinian Known for Touching Tribute to Slain Granddaughter
The killing of Khaled Nabhan came amid a fresh wave of Israeli attacks across Gaza that pushed the Palestinian death toll in the 14-month onslaught to over 45,000.
Dec 16, 2024
Israel Defense Forces shelling on Monday killed a Palestinian man who became known around the world last year after he appeared in a video showing him mourning a granddaughter who was slain in another Israeli attack on Gaza.
Khaled Nabhan was killed during IDF bombardment of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, gained international recognition in November 2023 after widespread circulation of video footage of him cradling the lifeless body of his 3-year-old granddaughter Reem, who was killed along with her 5-year-old brother Tariq in an IDF airstrike on the Nuseirat camp. Nabhan and other relatives were wounded in the attack.
In the video, Nabhan kisses Reem's bruised and bloodied face as he bids farewell to the grandchild he called the "soul of my soul."
"She used to call me with her sweet voice, bring me food and water, and fill my days with happiness," Nabhan told Palestinian media at the time. "I would say to her, 'Oh my love, my heart, my eyes.'"
Tributes to Nabhan and condemnation of Israel's U.S.-backed war on Gaza were posted throughout social media on Monday.
"This isn't war it's the erasure of families and histories—with impunity," journalist Antoinette Lattouf said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Khaled Nabhan demonstrated more humanity in a single video than the entire Western bloc has in the last 14 months," said another account on X with more than 166,000 followers.
Khaled Nabhan has been killed by Israeli strikes on Nusairat. Khaled, who referred to his granddaughter as the "soul of [my] soul" and who captured the attention of the world with his softness at a time when that softness was being denied to Palestinian men, has been killed.
[image or embed]
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany.bsky.social) December 16, 2024 at 5:12 AM
Nabhan's death came amid ongoing ferocious Israeli bombardment that killed at least scores of Palestinians on Sunday and Monday, pushing the death toll from Israel's 437-day onslaught to over 45,000—most of them women and children. More than 106,000 others have been injured and over 11,000 Palestinians are missing and believed dead and buried beneath rubble.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told reporters that at least 40 people including women and children were killed Sunday as Israeli troops stormed the Khalil Awida school in Beit Hanoun, where forcibly displaced Palestinian families were sheltering. According to Quds News Network, IDF troops kidnapped all the men sheltering there while forcing others to flee and leaving the wounded without medical treatment.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza's media office, said Sunday that 42 Palestinians were killed in an IDF strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp and four Gaza Civil Defense personnel and Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed al-Louh were slain in an attack on a field headquarters, among numerous other casualty events.
Israel—which is on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice—said its forces targeted terrorists and their infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Israel Defense Forces shelling on Monday killed a Palestinian man who became known around the world last year after he appeared in a video showing him mourning a granddaughter who was slain in another Israeli attack on Gaza.
Khaled Nabhan was killed during IDF bombardment of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, gained international recognition in November 2023 after widespread circulation of video footage of him cradling the lifeless body of his 3-year-old granddaughter Reem, who was killed along with her 5-year-old brother Tariq in an IDF airstrike on the Nuseirat camp. Nabhan and other relatives were wounded in the attack.
In the video, Nabhan kisses Reem's bruised and bloodied face as he bids farewell to the grandchild he called the "soul of my soul."
"She used to call me with her sweet voice, bring me food and water, and fill my days with happiness," Nabhan told Palestinian media at the time. "I would say to her, 'Oh my love, my heart, my eyes.'"
Tributes to Nabhan and condemnation of Israel's U.S.-backed war on Gaza were posted throughout social media on Monday.
"This isn't war it's the erasure of families and histories—with impunity," journalist Antoinette Lattouf said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Khaled Nabhan demonstrated more humanity in a single video than the entire Western bloc has in the last 14 months," said another account on X with more than 166,000 followers.
Khaled Nabhan has been killed by Israeli strikes on Nusairat. Khaled, who referred to his granddaughter as the "soul of [my] soul" and who captured the attention of the world with his softness at a time when that softness was being denied to Palestinian men, has been killed.
[image or embed]
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany.bsky.social) December 16, 2024 at 5:12 AM
Nabhan's death came amid ongoing ferocious Israeli bombardment that killed at least scores of Palestinians on Sunday and Monday, pushing the death toll from Israel's 437-day onslaught to over 45,000—most of them women and children. More than 106,000 others have been injured and over 11,000 Palestinians are missing and believed dead and buried beneath rubble.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told reporters that at least 40 people including women and children were killed Sunday as Israeli troops stormed the Khalil Awida school in Beit Hanoun, where forcibly displaced Palestinian families were sheltering. According to Quds News Network, IDF troops kidnapped all the men sheltering there while forcing others to flee and leaving the wounded without medical treatment.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza's media office, said Sunday that 42 Palestinians were killed in an IDF strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp and four Gaza Civil Defense personnel and Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed al-Louh were slain in an attack on a field headquarters, among numerous other casualty events.
Israel—which is on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice—said its forces targeted terrorists and their infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
Israel Defense Forces shelling on Monday killed a Palestinian man who became known around the world last year after he appeared in a video showing him mourning a granddaughter who was slain in another Israeli attack on Gaza.
Khaled Nabhan was killed during IDF bombardment of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Nabhan, also known as Abu Diaa, gained international recognition in November 2023 after widespread circulation of video footage of him cradling the lifeless body of his 3-year-old granddaughter Reem, who was killed along with her 5-year-old brother Tariq in an IDF airstrike on the Nuseirat camp. Nabhan and other relatives were wounded in the attack.
In the video, Nabhan kisses Reem's bruised and bloodied face as he bids farewell to the grandchild he called the "soul of my soul."
"She used to call me with her sweet voice, bring me food and water, and fill my days with happiness," Nabhan told Palestinian media at the time. "I would say to her, 'Oh my love, my heart, my eyes.'"
Tributes to Nabhan and condemnation of Israel's U.S.-backed war on Gaza were posted throughout social media on Monday.
"This isn't war it's the erasure of families and histories—with impunity," journalist Antoinette Lattouf said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Khaled Nabhan demonstrated more humanity in a single video than the entire Western bloc has in the last 14 months," said another account on X with more than 166,000 followers.
Khaled Nabhan has been killed by Israeli strikes on Nusairat. Khaled, who referred to his granddaughter as the "soul of [my] soul" and who captured the attention of the world with his softness at a time when that softness was being denied to Palestinian men, has been killed.
[image or embed]
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany.bsky.social) December 16, 2024 at 5:12 AM
Nabhan's death came amid ongoing ferocious Israeli bombardment that killed at least scores of Palestinians on Sunday and Monday, pushing the death toll from Israel's 437-day onslaught to over 45,000—most of them women and children. More than 106,000 others have been injured and over 11,000 Palestinians are missing and believed dead and buried beneath rubble.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told reporters that at least 40 people including women and children were killed Sunday as Israeli troops stormed the Khalil Awida school in Beit Hanoun, where forcibly displaced Palestinian families were sheltering. According to Quds News Network, IDF troops kidnapped all the men sheltering there while forcing others to flee and leaving the wounded without medical treatment.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza's media office, said Sunday that 42 Palestinians were killed in an IDF strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp and four Gaza Civil Defense personnel and Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed al-Louh were slain in an attack on a field headquarters, among numerous other casualty events.
Israel—which is on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice—said its forces targeted terrorists and their infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.