Yazan Rami Abu Al-Auf

Their life

Yazan Rami Abu al-Auf was a 13-year-old boy from Gaza City. He lived with his family in the al-Wehda Street neighborhood, a busy and well-known area of central Gaza. Yazan was remembered by relatives and neighbors as a bright, lively child who loved being surrounded by his siblings and cousins. Like many children in Gaza, his life was marked by restrictions, frequent power cuts, and the sound of drones overhead, yet he carried an innocent hope for the future.

Yazan was born and raised in Gaza City, in a family deeply rooted in the al-Auf and al-Ifranji families. He grew up in an environment of close family ties, surrounded by his parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, and grandparents, many of whom lived in the same residential area. Despite living under blockade and frequent military escalations, Yazan was a typical Palestinian child who loved playing in the streets with friends, helping his mother at home, and being with his brothers and sisters. On May 16, 2021, during the devastating Israeli assault on Gaza, Yazan was at home with his family when Israeli warplanes bombed the al-Wehda Street residential towers. He was killed alongside multiple family members, including children, women, and elderly relatives, marking one of the deadliest single strikes of that war. His death, along with dozens of others that night, drew international outrage and calls for accountability.

How they died

Yazan was killed by Israeli airstrikes that struck his family’s residential building on al-Wehda Street in Gaza City.

On May 16, 2021, Israeli warplanes launched a massive series of strikes on al-Wehda Street in Gaza City. The attacks flattened multi-story residential buildings and destroyed homes while families were inside. Yazan was among thirteen bodies pulled from the rubble that day, including children, mothers, and elderly family members. Medical crews later confirmed that he died instantly due to the impact of missiles collapsing the building on top of him. The strike was part of a larger military escalation in which dozens of civilians were killed within minutes, despite Israel’s claim of targeting underground tunnels. Human rights organizations documented that the attack directly struck civilian homes, killing Yazan and many of his relatives while they huddled together for safety.

A plea from the family

After the massacre on al-Wehda Street that killed Yazan Rami Abu al-Auf (13) along with his family members, relatives and neighbors made heartbroken pleas: A surviving relative of the Abu al-Auf family said in tears after pulling bodies from the rubble: “We buried Yazan and his siblings with our own hands. They were only children, hiding in their home, believing they were safe. Why did they target us in our sleep? What crime did they commit?” Another family member, mourning the loss of multiple generations in one night, pleaded: “From the grandfather to the youngest children, they were wiped out. Our family tree has been cut. We ask the world: are these the terrorists you speak of — little Yazan, Mira, Ameer, Lana, Rola? We want justice, not sympathy.” A neighbor who rushed to the ruins described: “We found them huddled together, as if they were protecting each other. Yazan’s hand was still reaching toward his sister. They died together, crushed. We beg the world to protect our children — don’t let their b

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Yazan Rami Abu Al-Auf, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources