Rajaa Mousa Zakariya Kawari

Their life

Rajaa Mousa Zakariya Kawari was a 23-year-old Palestinian woman from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Known for her quiet resilience and deep compassion, Rajaa was among the many young Palestinians whose life was cut short by the ongoing Israeli bombardment. She was martyred on December 8, 2023, when Israeli aircraft targeted her family’s home without warning, killing her and several others sheltering there.

Rajaa Mousa Zakariya Kawari, 23, was a young Palestinian woman from Deir al-Balah Governorate in the heart of the Gaza Strip. She grew up in a close-knit family, surrounded by relatives and neighbors who described her as gentle, thoughtful, and hopeful — a symbol of Gaza’s struggling but enduring youth. Rajaa had dreams for her future, ones that were never allowed to unfold. Like many families during the war, hers had opened their home to displaced neighbors seeking refuge from airstrikes. On December 8, 2023, their house, crowded with civilians, was bombed by Israeli warplanes without any prior warning. The strike claimed Rajaa’s life and those of many others, burying her aspirations beneath the rubble. Her martyrdom reflects the immense toll this war has taken on young women in Gaza, whose only crime was being born in a land under siege. Rajaa's memory remains in the hearts of those who loved her — as both a victim of injustice and a testament to the quiet strength of Palestinian youth.

How they died

Killed by Israeli airstrike

Rajaa Mousa Zakariya Kawari was martyred as a result of an Israeli airstrike on her family’s home in the Deir al-Balah Governorate on December 8, 2023. The house, which was providing shelter to several displaced families fleeing other areas of Gaza, was targeted by Israeli occupation aircraft without any prior warning. The airstrike caused extensive damage to the building, resulting in the deaths of Rajaa and several other individuals who were taking refuge there. The attack, carried out in the midst of ongoing airstrikes in Gaza, was indiscriminate, with no efforts to ensure the safety of civilians or provide warnings. Rajaa’s death highlights the ongoing risks faced by innocent Palestinians, particularly women and children, caught in the crossfire of military operations.

A plea from the family

The family of Rajaa Kawari has called for the world to recognize her humanity — not just as a casualty, but as a daughter, a sister, and a young woman full of unfulfilled dreams. In the aftermath of her killing, her relatives have expressed profound grief and outrage: “Rajaa was just 23. She was kind, thoughtful, and wanted to help rebuild Gaza, not be buried beneath it. She was not a soldier. She was not a threat. She was our hope.” The family pleads: For the international community to demand a halt to the indiscriminate bombing of civilian homes in Gaza. That the world see their daughter’s name not as a statistic, but as a story ended far too soon. For justice and accountability, so that no other family must endure the same horror.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Rajaa Mousa Zakariya Kawari, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources