Ahmad Fayez Arafat

Their life

Ahmad Fayez Arafat, 29, was a Palestinian from Abasan al-Kabeera, a town near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. On May 17, 2021, he was killed when an Israeli drone fired a missile at a group of Palestinians in the southern part of Gaza, injuring many others. His death occurred amid one of the deadliest days of the May 2021 escalation, during which Israeli forces launched hundreds of airstrikes and artillery shells across the Gaza Strip, targeting homes, residential buildings, public facilities, and infrastructure, killing dozens, including many women and children.

Ahmad Fayez Arafat, 29, was a resident of Abasan al-Kabeera, a town located near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. On May 17, 2021, amid intense Israeli bombardment, an unmanned aerial vehicle fired a missile at several Palestinians in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing Ahmad instantly and wounding multiple others. That day, Israeli forces carried out widespread attacks by air, land, and sea, striking residential neighborhoods, roads, and public spaces, and inflicting significant civilian casualties. Many of those killed were entire families whose homes were destroyed. The same day, the Israeli army also assassinated senior Islamic Jihad leader Husam Abu Harbeed and killed several other civilians in different parts of Gaza, including members of the Abu Jalhoum family. Ahmad’s death added to the rapidly rising toll of Palestinians killed during the offensive, which by that date had surpassed 200.

How they died

Missile strike from an Israeli drone.

Ahmad Fayez Arafat died instantly after an Israeli drone launched a missile at a group of Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip. The strike caused multiple casualties, with many injured, some critically. The targeted attack was part of a larger wave of Israeli airstrikes and shelling that day, hitting civilian areas and causing widespread destruction.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Ahmad Fayez Arafat, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources