Yehya Riyad Hasan Ishkantna
Yehya was killed in an Israeli airstrike when missiles struck his family’s home on al-Wehda Street, Gaza City, on May 16, 2021.
In the early hours of May 16, 2021, Israeli warplanes carried out massive airstrikes on the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, targeting residential buildings, streets, and civilian infrastructure. Yehya and his family were inside their home when several multi-story apartment buildings collapsed under heavy bombardment. The attack killed Yehya, his mother Abeer, and his siblings Dana, Lana, and Zain instantly as they were trapped beneath the rubble. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), the strikes on al-Wehda Street killed at least 43 civilians that night, including 11 children and 9 women, and reduced entire families to rubble.
Biography
Yehya Riyad Hasan Ishkantna was a 5-year-old Palestinian boy from Gaza City. He lived with his parents and siblings in the al-Rimal neighborhood, where his family was part of a close-knit household. Yehya was described by relatives as a cheerful and curious child, deeply attached to his siblings Dana, Lana, and baby Zain. Like thousands of children in Gaza, Yehya had already experienced trauma from previous escalations, but he remained full of life and innocence. His young life came to an abrupt end during the heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza on May 16, 2021.
Born in Gaza City in 2016, Yehya grew up amid the hardships of life under siege. He was the second son of Riyad Hasan Ishkantna and his wife Abeer Nimir Ali Ishkantna, and a beloved brother to Dana (9), Lana (3), and Zain (2). Family and neighbors recall Yehya as playful, gentle, and protective toward his younger siblings. His childhood, like that of many children in Gaza, was marked by blackouts, shortages, and frequent sounds of airstrikes, but his parents tried to shelter him with love and education. On the night of May 16, 2021, Yehya was asleep at home when Israeli warplanes bombed multiple apartment buildings on al-Wehda Street without warning. He was killed instantly along with his mother Abeer and all three of his siblings. Only his father, Riyad, survived the attack, though he was badly wounded and later pulled from under the rubble. Yehya’s short life ended before he could begin school properly, a reminder of the devastating toll of war on Gaza’s children.
Additional Information
Sources & References
Yehya Riyad Hasan Ishkantna, 5, was killed by Israeli missiles in Gaza city. He was killed along with his mother Abeer Nimir Ali Ishkantna, 30. The mother was killed along with her 4 children: Yehya Hasan Ishkantna, 5, Dana, 9, Lana, 3, and Zain, 2. The same attack also killed Rula Mohammad al-Qulaq, five, Yara, nine, and Hala, 12 – all sisters – together with their cousin Hana, 14, and several other of their relatives, as well as sisters Dima and Mira Rami al-Ifranji al-Auf, 15 and 11. A total of 37 men, women and children were killed in the airstrikes that night on al-Wehda Street in al-Rimal, Gaza City. They were mainly from two families: the Abu al-Auf family, which lost 16 family members that night – including 6 children and their parents and grandparents; and the al-Qulaq family, which lost 17 family members that night, including a one-year old baby and seven other young children who were siblings and cousins.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source