Raida Abdel Hamid Youssef Abu Saada

Their life

Name: Raida Abdel Hamid Youssef Abu Saada
Age: 51 years old
Marital Status: Married
Date of Martyrdom: October 29, 2023
Address: Beit Lahia Refugee Camp, Northern Gaza Strip
Status: Civilian
Circumstances of Death: Killed in an Israeli airstrike without warning while sheltering in the Abu Saada family home

Raida Abdel Hamid Youssef Abu Saada, a 51-year-old Palestinian woman from the Beit Lahia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza, was tragically killed on October 29, 2023, when Israeli occupation aircraft targeted the Abu Saada family home. The airstrike, which came without any prior warning or notice, resulted in Raida’s martyrdom alongside several other members of her family.

Raida, a married woman, was living with her family in the Beit Lahia Refugee Camp, a community that, like many others in Gaza, has faced the hardships of displacement, violence, and conflict for decades. At the time of her death, Raida was in her fifties, and like many in her community, she had lived through multiple cycles of violence, with the hope of finding some measure of safety and peace.

On the day of her death, Raida, along with her family, had sought shelter in their home, unaware that an airstrike would be targeting their residence. The attack came suddenly, without prior warning, and resulted in Raida’s death along with the deaths of several other family members.

The loss of Raida, along with her family, is a tragic reminder of the indiscriminate nature of military operations in Gaza, where civilians, regardless of age or gender, are at constant risk of being killed in airstrikes that fail to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.

How they died

Killed in an Israeli airstrike

shw was Killed in an Israeli airstrike without warning while sheltering in the Abu Saada family home

A plea from the family

The surviving family members of Raida Abdel Hamid Youssef Abu Saada, who tragically lost her life in an Israeli airstrike on October 29, 2023, are left in deep sorrow and seeking justice. Their voices, filled with grief, are calling for an end to the relentless violence and for accountability for the deaths of their loved ones. "Raida was a mother, a wife, and a pillar of our family. Her life was taken in an instant, and we were not even given the chance to say goodbye." – A grieving family member Raida’s husband, children, and other surviving relatives are struggling to cope with the sudden loss of a beloved family member. They have shared the immense pain of losing someone so close in such a brutal and senseless way. Their cries reflect the trauma of being caught in the crossfire of an unending conflict that leaves innocent lives shattered. Their plea to the international community is one of urgent action: they call for protection for civilians, a halt to indiscriminate airstrikes, and justice for the victims of such attacks.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Raida Abdel Hamid Youssef Abu Saada, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources