Amani Yousef Muhawish Salha

Amani Yousef Mohawesh Salha, 33 years old, was a resident of Deir al-Balah, a city located in the central Gaza Strip. She lived with her husband, Eyad Abdul-Fattah Salha, who was physically disabled and used a wheelchair, and their daughter, Nagham, just three years old. Amani was also seven months pregnant, expecting a second child, when her life — and that of her family — was violently ended.

On the evening of May 19, 2021, the family was reportedly sitting in their kitchen, sharing a meal, when an Israeli missile struck their home without warning. All three were killed instantly. Amani’s brother-in-law later expressed his horror and disbelief to local reporters, asking, “What do they think he was doing, firing missiles from his wheelchair?”

The loss of Amani — a pregnant mother, a wife, and an ordinary civilian — alongside her disabled husband and child, encapsulated the indiscriminate nature of the strikes that devastated Gaza during that period. The incident was one among hundreds of airstrikes that targeted residential areas, resulting in high civilian casualties and widespread trauma.

Amani's death was not only a personal tragedy for her surviving family and community but also a stark illustration of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza during the 2021 war, where pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities were killed in their own homes.