Mohammad Rafat at-Tanani
Mohammad was killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck his family home.
On the night of May 13, 2021, Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including a densely populated residential area in Beit Hanoun. At least 20 missiles were fired, destroying an entire residential square without prior warning. Among the victims was the at-Tanani family. Mohammad, just 3 years old, was killed instantly along with his father, his pregnant mother, and three brothers when their home collapsed on them. The family’s remains were only discovered hours later by search and rescue personnel. The strike was part of a larger wave of attacks across Gaza that killed dozens of civilians the same night.
Biography
Mohammad Ra’fat at-Tanani, a 3-year-old boy from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, was one of the youngest victims of the May 2021 Israeli military assault on Gaza. He lived with his parents and three siblings in a modest home, surrounded by family life and childhood innocence. Tragically, on May 13, 2021, Mohammad was killed along with his father, mother, and siblings in an airstrike that completely destroyed their home.
Born in Beit Hanoun in 2018, Mohammad Ra’fat at-Tanani was the youngest son of Ra’fat Tanani, 38, and his wife Rawiye, 35, who was pregnant at the time of her death. He grew up alongside his brothers Ismail (6), Ameer (5), and Adham (4), in a close-knit family environment filled with laughter and the bonds of early childhood. The at-Tanani family were ordinary civilians living in a densely populated neighborhood, struggling against the daily hardships of life under blockade in Gaza. On the night of May 13, 2021, Israeli warplanes carried out intense bombardments across the Strip, including in Beit Hanoun. Without any warning, missiles struck the at-Tanani home, instantly killing Mohammad, his siblings, and their parents. Their bodies were later pulled from the rubble after hours of searching by rescue teams. Mohammad’s death became part of the broader tragedy of the 11-day assault that left 247 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, and devastated entire communities across Gaza.
Sources & References
Mohammad Rafat at-Tanani, 3, was killed along with his father, mother, and three siblings in an Israeli airstrike that hit their home. The at-Tanani family were in their home in Beit Hanoun town when the Israeli army bombed the area without any warning. The entire residential square was destroyed, including the family’s home. Ra’fat Tanani, 38, his pregnant wife Rawiye, 35, and their children Ismail, 6, Ameer, 5, Adham, 4, and Mohammad, 3, were all killed. The same night that the Tanani family was killed in the north of Gaza Strip coincided with killing another family in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. The family consisted of five members –all of them died including a one-year-old infant identified as Ibrahim. The father survived. He was one of 36 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on May 13th.1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source
An Israeli airstrike killed four Palestinian children and their parents early Thursday morning in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes fired at least 20 missiles at a densely populated residential neighborhood on Beit Lahiya's Main Street shortly after 1 a.m., according to documentation collected by DCIP. The Israeli attack killed Ra'fat Tanani, 38, his pregnant wife Rawiye, 35, and their children Ismail, 6, Ameer, 5, Adham, 4, and Mohammad, 3.2 findagrave.com Open source