Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum

Their life

Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum was a 5-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza City. She was tragically killed on August 5, 2022, during an Israeli missile strike targeting residential areas in Gaza.

Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum was a young child living in the Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City. She was preparing to start kindergarten and was excited about her new school clothes and supplies. On August 5, 2022, during a heavy wave of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, Ala’ was playing outside her family’s home when a missile struck the area. The strikes were part of a larger offensive that targeted multiple buildings, including the Burj Falasteen (Palestine Tower), a government and media center in Gaza City. Despite the military focus on resistance leaders, most of those killed in these bombings were civilians like Ala’, who became a heartbreaking symbol of the toll on innocent families. Her grandfather, Riyad Qaddoum, publicly mourned her death and questioned the global response to the ongoing violence, calling attention to the suffering of Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire.

How they died

Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum was killed by an Israeli missile that struck her family’s home in the Rimal neighborhood during an airstrike on August 5, 2022.

Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum, aged 5, died as a result of an Israeli missile strike that hit her family’s home in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on August 5, 2022. During a large-scale wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple locations across Gaza, a missile struck the residential area where Ala’ was playing outside. The blast caused devastating damage to the home and surrounding structures, resulting in severe injuries that proved fatal. As a young child, Ala’ was particularly vulnerable to the force of the explosion, which likely caused traumatic injuries including shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma from collapsing debris, and possibly fatal internal injuries. Her death occurred amidst a broader military offensive aimed at Palestinian resistance leaders but which disproportionately affected civilians, including children. The strike happened shortly after an attack on Burj Falasteen (Palestine Tower), marking a particularly intense period of violence in Gaza.

A plea from the family

Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum’s family, especially her grandfather Riyad Qaddoum, has expressed profound grief and heartbreak over her death. Riyad mourned the loss of his granddaughter, who was just about to start kindergarten and was excited about her new school clothes and supplies. In his plea, he questioned the justification for targeting civilian areas, asking, “Why did they have to kill her? Why did they have to bomb a civilian area and kill this innocent child?” He also called on the international community to take notice and act, wondering, “Where is the world from all of this? Where are those who talk about human rights and protection for the civilian population?” The family’s plea reflects a desperate call for the protection of innocent civilians, an end to violence, and accountability for the devastating impact of the conflict on Palestinian families.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources