“Soul of My Soul”, Palestinian Grandfather, Khaled Nabhan Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza

Gaza, MINA – A Palestinian grandfather, mourning the death of his 3-year-old granddaughter in an Israeli airstrike last year, was killed in another attack in central Gaza on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.

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

According to an Anadolu Agency reporter, Nabhan was killed on Monday in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat camp.

Photos of Nabhan made headlines as he cradled his granddaughter’s lifeless body, saying goodbye while kissing her eyes and caressing her hair and face, calling her “soul of my soul.”

His heart-wrenching story went viral around the world and dominated world media as one of the many innocent lives lost in Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave.

“Reem, she was 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 ‘sweetheart.’ I would call her ‘my heart, my eyes.’ I miss her so much,” Nabhan told Anadolu Agency at the time.

“I never thought our children would be bombed. Yes, my heart hurts. They filmed me and everyone saw it. I didn’t even realize I was being filmed. But there are many others here who are not captured on video and their hearts are burning,” he said.

After the deaths of his grandchildren, Nabhan turned to charity and aid work to help the helpless Gazans struggling to survive under Israeli attacks.

He took part in food distribution in Gaza for Palestinians on the brink of starvation in the blockaded territory. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)