Jamal Mohammad Sa’id Zibda

Their life

Jamal Mohammad Sa’id Zibda, 65, was a Palestinian from Gaza City who had studied at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech in the United States before returning to Gaza in 1994. He lived with his family in Gaza and was killed alongside his son, Osama Jamal Zibda (33), in an Israeli airstrike on May 12, 2021, during the height of a large-scale Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip. The strike was part of ongoing attacks that targeted homes, residential buildings, and infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

Jamal had a U.S. education in advanced technology and returned to Gaza to live with his family, including his son Osama, who was a U.S. citizen. Israeli media claimed that Osama had been involved in assisting Palestinian resistance groups with rocket development. On May 12, 2021, Jamal and Osama were killed in their home during a targeted Israeli airstrike. This strike occurred amid a multi-day offensive that killed over 65 Palestinians on that day alone, including men, women, and children. Jamal’s death occurred in the context of widespread civilian casualties, destruction of homes, and damage to infrastructure across Gaza City, highlighting the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

How they died

He was Killed by an Israeli airstrike.

Jamal was killed when an Israeli missile struck the location where he and his son were present, as part of an aerial bombardment targeting homes in Gaza City. The attack occurred during the third straight day of large-scale Israeli airstrikes on residential areas, which targeted Palestinian civilians, buildings, streets, and infrastructure.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Jamal Mohammad Sa’id Zibda, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources