Alaa Mohammed al-Bahri

Their life

Firas ‘Alaa Mohammed al-Bahri, a 20-year-old Palestinian from Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, died on May 19, 2021, from critical injuries sustained six days earlier when Israeli warplanes fired missiles near Tower 19 in the al-Nada residential complex. Severely wounded on May 13, Firas fought for his life but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. He was one of many Palestinian civilians affected by Israel’s military offensive, which involved airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas. His death highlights the high toll of the 2021 conflict on Gaza’s youth and non-combatant population.

Firas ‘Alaa Mohammed al-Bahri, aged 20, was a young man from Beit Hanoun, a city in the northern Gaza Strip. On May 13, 2021, Firas was gravely injured during an Israeli airstrike that targeted a Palestinian residential tower—specifically Tower 19 in the al-Nada Towers area in ‘Izbet Beit Hanoun. The strike occurred amid one of the most intense days of bombardment during the May 2021 Israeli offensive on Gaza.

The missile strike on the civilian complex resulted in widespread destruction and casualties. Firas was among the many wounded, suffering critical, life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to a medical facility in Gaza, where he received urgent treatment, but despite efforts by medical staff, his condition remained critical, and he eventually succumbed to his wounds on May 19.

That same day, multiple areas in Gaza were targeted from air, land, and sea, resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians, including a woman and a child, and 76 injuries, many of whom were women and children. The ongoing strikes also caused significant damage to Gaza’s telecommunications infrastructure, isolating parts of the region and making communication with the outside world nearly impossible.

Firas’s death came during a broader campaign that had, by that point, claimed the lives of 221 Palestinians, including 62 children and 36 women, and injured over 1,000.

As a 20-year-old, Firas represented Gaza’s youth—caught in a cycle of violence, occupation, and systemic military escalation. His life was cut short while in a residential area, not on any battlefield.

How they died

Succumbed to injuries from Israeli airstrike near al-Nada Towers.

Firas al-Bahri was critically injured on May 13, 2021, when Israeli warplanes launched a missile near Residential Tower 19 in the al-Nada Towers area of ‘Izbet Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. The location was a civilian residential zone, and Firas was among several Palestinians seriously wounded in the strike. Despite intensive medical care, he died from his injuries on May 19, 2021.

A plea from the family

“Firas was a kind young man, full of life. He wasn’t fighting anyone—he was in a residential building. Why was our home turned into a target? Why are our youth not safe in their own streets and towers?”

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Alaa Mohammed al-Bahri, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources