Pleas of surviving relatives: Riyad Hasan Shkontana, a neighbor on al-Wehda Street, became a symbol of the survivors’ anguish. He was pulled alive from the rubble, only to discover that his wife and five children had been killed in the same attack. His testimony expressed disbelief that civilians and children like Adam were bombed without warning. He pleaded for the world to intervene, asking: “Why are children and families being targeted? Why were we not safe even in our homes?”

Pleas of surviving relatives: Riyad Hasan Shkontana, a neighbor and survivor of the same airstrike, lost his wife and five children. He was pulled alive from the rubble but later told that his entire immediate family had been killed. In interviews and testimonies, he recounted the horror of waking up under debris, hearing his children’s voices fade, and then being told at the hospital that none of them survived. His public plea was simple and heartbreaking: “Why were we targeted while we were sleeping at home? We are not militants. We are just a family.” His story has been widely reported as emblematic of the civilian suffering on al-Wehda Street.

Pleas of surviving relatives: Riyad Hasan Shkontana was the only survivor from his immediate family. He was pulled alive from beneath the rubble on May 16, 2021, but when he reached the hospital, he was told that his wife and four young children (aged 2–9) were all killed in the strike. His pleas and testimony highlighted his devastation: he said that his entire life was destroyed in a single night, and he asked how civilians could be targeted while they were asleep in their homes.

Pleas of surviving relatives: The Palestine Red Crescent Society mourned her: With great sadness and sorrow, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society mourns our colleague, pharmacist Dr. Safaa Ahmed Ismail, who was martyred along with her daughter and daughter-in-law

Pleas of surviving relatives: The little girl, Mayar Al-Assar, wrote, “Daughter of Hoda Al-Assar”. The moon that lights up my life is gone. How did you go, my heart, you went in the blink of an eye You left us alone When I saw you, I felt someone suffocating me. I felt my heart boiling I couldn’t believe you left, and you will never come back. I don’t believe that I will see you again. I miss you. May God have mercy on your soul, Mom May God give us patience in parting with you since it’s too difficult. May God have mercy on you You were a moon that illuminated our lives. Your sweet laugh was giving us the power to move with such life. Sitting with you was lovely and warm. May God have mercy on you and make your abode in heaven. Goodbye Mom