Raja’ Sobhi Abu Al-Auf

Their life

Raja’ Sobhi Isma’el al-Ifranji Abu al-‘Auf, 41, was a resident of Gaza City who was killed on May 16, 2021, when Israeli warplanes bombarded residential buildings in al-Wehda Street. She died alongside three of her children—Mira, 12, Yazan, 13, and Ameer, 9—in what became known as the al-Wehda Street massacre, one of the deadliest single events during the offensive. Her death was part of a wave of strikes that wiped out entire families, including many members of the al-Qulaq family, and caused devastation across Gaza.

Raja’ Sobhi Isma’el al-Ifranji Abu al-‘Auf, aged 41, lived with her family in Gaza City. On May 16, 2021, during the eighth consecutive day of the Israeli military offensive on Gaza, she was killed when Israeli missiles struck and destroyed homes on al-Wehda Street. Raja’ was killed together with three of her children: Mira, 12, Yazan, 13, and Ameer, 9. They were among the dozens of victims of the al-Wehda Street massacre, in which 43 Palestinians were killed in a single night, most of them women and children. Entire families, such as the al-Qulaq family, were wiped out, with victims ranging from infants to the elderly.

That night, Israeli forces declared the beginning of the third phase of their operation, deploying more than 50 warplanes to fire 110 missiles within 20 minutes, devastating homes and infrastructure. The attacks caused power outages, destroyed essential facilities, and forced tens of thousands from their homes. Medical and rescue teams worked for hours to retrieve bodies from beneath the rubb

How they died

She was Killed by Israeli missile strikes that destroyed her home on al-Wehda Street, Gaza City.

Raja’ was killed when Israeli warplanes fired missiles at residential buildings on al-Wehda Street in Gaza City, reducing them to rubble. The strike caused fatal injuries to her and her children, leaving no survivors from her immediate family present in the home. Her death was part of a mass-casualty airstrike that leveled entire apartment blocks and claimed the lives of dozens of civilians, particularly women and children.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Raja’ Sobhi Abu Al-Auf, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources