Mahmoud Hamed Hasan Talba

Their life

Mahmoud Hamed Hasan Talba was a 13-year-old Palestinian boy from the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City. On May 14, 2021, during an intense Israeli offensive on Gaza, he was killed when an Israeli drone fired a missile at an apartment in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Mahmoud was among numerous civilians, including children and adults, killed that day in escalating airstrikes that destroyed homes and infrastructure across Gaza.

Born in 2008, Mahmoud Hamed Hasan Talba lived in Gaza City, where daily life had long been overshadowed by the effects of occupation, conflict, and recurring military operations. On May 14, 2021, as Israeli forces carried out airstrikes, artillery, and drone attacks across Gaza, Mahmoud was inside an apartment in the Zeitoun neighborhood when an Israeli drone missile struck, killing him instantly. He was killed alongside Abdul-Rahman Estbeita, 34, and within the same wave of strikes that claimed other lives, including children and young people in nearby areas such as the al-Boreij refugee camp. Mahmoud’s death occurred during one of the deadliest days of the Israeli offensive, which left hospitals overwhelmed and tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes. His life, cut short at just 13, reflects the extreme vulnerability of children living in Gaza amidst recurrent military escalations.

How they died

He was Killed by a missile fired from an Israeli drone.

Mahmoud died when an Israeli drone targeted an apartment in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood with a missile. The strike was part of a broader Israeli military operation involving airstrikes, artillery, and naval shelling that targeted residential areas, infrastructure, and facilities across Gaza. The attack on his apartment resulted in his immediate death and contributed to the wider civilian casualties, including children, women, and men, during the escalation.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Mahmoud Hamed Hasan Talba, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources