Mohammad Rafat at-Tanani

Their life

Mohammad Ra’fat at-Tanani, a 3-year-old boy from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, was one of the youngest victims of the May 2021 Israeli military assault on Gaza. He lived with his parents and three siblings in a modest home, surrounded by family life and childhood innocence. Tragically, on May 13, 2021, Mohammad was killed along with his father, mother, and siblings in an airstrike that completely destroyed their home.

Born in Beit Hanoun in 2018, Mohammad Ra’fat at-Tanani was the youngest son of Ra’fat Tanani, 38, and his wife Rawiye, 35, who was pregnant at the time of her death. He grew up alongside his brothers Ismail (6), Ameer (5), and Adham (4), in a close-knit family environment filled with laughter and the bonds of early childhood. The at-Tanani family were ordinary civilians living in a densely populated neighborhood, struggling against the daily hardships of life under blockade in Gaza. On the night of May 13, 2021, Israeli warplanes carried out intense bombardments across the Strip, including in Beit Hanoun. Without any warning, missiles struck the at-Tanani home, instantly killing Mohammad, his siblings, and their parents. Their bodies were later pulled from the rubble after hours of searching by rescue teams. Mohammad’s death became part of the broader tragedy of the 11-day assault that left 247 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, and devastated entire communities across Gaza.

How they died

Mohammad was killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck his family home.

On the night of May 13, 2021, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including a densely populated residential area in Beit Hanoun. At least 20 missiles were fired, destroying an entire residential square without prior warning. Among the victims was the at-Tanani family. Mohammad, just 3 years old, was killed instantly along with his father, his pregnant mother, and three brothers when their home collapsed on them. The family’s remains were only discovered hours later by search and rescue personnel. The strike was part of a larger wave of attacks across Gaza that killed dozens of civilians the same night.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Mohammad Rafat at-Tanani, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources