Osama Jamal Zibda

Their life

Osama Jamal Zibda, 33, was a Palestinian-American from the Gaza Strip. Born in the United States, he returned to Gaza where he lived with his family. Osama was killed on May 13, 2021, during an Israeli airstrike that also claimed the life of his father, Jamal Mohammad Zibda. His death occurred amid a series of heavy bombardments on Gaza that targeted residential buildings and infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

Osama Jamal Zibda was born in the United States and held U.S. citizenship. His father, Jamal Mohammad Zibda, had studied at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science at Virginia Tech before returning to Gaza in 1994. Osama lived in Gaza with his family and, according to Israeli media reports, was alleged to have assisted Palestinian resistance groups with rocket technology. On May 13, 2021, during a night of intensive Israeli airstrikes, Osama and his father were killed in Gaza. The strikes were part of a wider offensive targeting homes, apartment towers, and other infrastructure across the Gaza Strip, which killed dozens of Palestinians and injured hundreds. His death exemplifies the human toll of the conflict, particularly on civilians caught in the crossfire.

How they died

Osama was killed by an Israeli airstrike.

Osama Jamal Zibda’s death resulted from an Israeli missile strike during the extensive bombardment of Gaza on May 13, 2021. The airstrike targeted residential areas, and Osama was killed along with his father, Jamal. The attack was part of a broader military campaign that hit homes, apartment buildings, and infrastructure, causing widespread destruction and multiple civilian casualties.

Why we remember them

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

References & sources