Pleas of surviving relatives: Sela’s mother, Alaa Shehada, offered a heart-wrenching account of her daughter’s final moments and the deep sorrow of losing her. Though she did not make an explicit public or political plea, her words conveyed profound grief and a desperate cry for safety, food, and protection for children like Sela. “I felt the strike in my heart. My intuition as a mother told me this strike reached my kids.” She described the agony of leaving Sela and her other children behind for just a short while to search for food, only to return to devastating news. When she managed to contact her older daughter by phone, she learned that Sela had been killed and her other two children were seriously injured. Alaa also recalled Sela’s final words, which serve as a heartbreaking reminder of the deprivation facing families in Gaza: “I want to eat a whole bowl of lentils until I’m full.” These memories—Sela’s hunger, her innocence, and her tragic death—form an implicit plea for humanity, for the protection of children, and for urgent humanitarian aid. Through Alaa’s story, the world is shown the unbearable cost of war on families, and especially on the most vulnerable.

Pleas of surviving relatives: Abdullah’s sister, Nadreen Jendeia, shared a heartfelt and sorrowful account of her brother’s final day. She pleaded with him not to go out, urging him to eat the few lentils they had left, but he insisted on going to find food for the family. Her words reflect a family’s desperation and a sister’s deep regret and grief: “He was impatient to go and fetch some food that day… I told him, ‘Just eat the few lentils we have left,’ but he refused.” After his death, she expressed how deeply the loss has affected the family, remembering him not just as a provider during desperate times, but as a joyful, kind-hearted young man who loved football, walks on the beach, and had dreams for a better life after the war.

Pleas of surviving relatives: Ibtisam’s family, particularly her brother, has publicly condemned the way she was killed and left without medical help. His account highlights the family’s grief and demand for justice, as well as their rejection of the Israeli military’s version of the events. Her killing has become emblematic of broader concerns about the Israeli military’s use of lethal force against Palestinians, especially women and former detainees.

Pleas of surviving relatives: Although Dr. Mai Afaneh’s immediate family has not issued a widely published formal plea, their anguish was evident in the public response to her killing. One month after her death, the family and community held a peaceful protest in Abu Dis, demanding that Israeli authorities return her body. The protest reflected the family’s deep grief and their appeal for dignity, justice, and accountability for Mai’s killing. The continued withholding of her body added to their suffering and was condemned by human rights advocates.