Mohammad Zain al-Dein Hasan Attar

Born in 2020, Mohammad Zain al-Dein Hasan Attar was only 8 months old at the time of his death. He was the youngest child of Lamia’ and Mohammed al-Attar, a family from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. His short life was surrounded by the love of his parents and siblings, especially his older brother Islam (8) and sister Amira (7), who were preparing together for the coming school year. On May 14, 2021, their family’s hopes and daily routines were shattered when Israeli warplanes carried out multiple strikes on their neighborhood, hitting agricultural lands and nearby residential buildings. Without prior warning, five airstrikes destroyed their home and six other apartments in the area. At the time, Lamia’ and her three children were sitting together inside when the missiles struck. All four were killed instantly, leaving behind a devastated husband and father who survived with light injuries because he had been in another room with his brother. In interviews given later, Mohammed al-Attar recalled the joy of enrolling his daughter Amira in first grade just days earlier, and the children’s excitement about school. He described his loss as an “ugly nightmare,” mourning that he was left with only his surviving five-year-old child. Mohammad’s death symbolizes the vulnerability of Gaza’s children, who bear the heaviest cost in times of conflict, often losing their lives before they have had the chance to begin them.