Rawiye Fathi Tanani
Rawiyia was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in Beit Hanoun.
In the early hours of May 13, 2021, Israeli warplanes launched a barrage of at least 20 missiles at a densely populated residential area on Beit Lahiya’s Main Street, near Beit Hanoun. The strike demolished the Tanani family’s home while they were inside, killing Rawiyia, her husband Ra’fat, their four children, and her unborn child. Their bodies were later recovered from beneath the rubble by search and rescue teams. The attack was one of several that night which struck civilian homes across Gaza, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
Biography
Rawiyia Fathi Hasan al-Tanani, 36, was a mother of four from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. She was pregnant with her fifth child when she, her husband Ra’fat, and their four young children — Ismail, Ameer, Adham, and Mohammad — were killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 13, 2021. Rawiyia was remembered by her extended family and community as a devoted mother who dedicated her life to raising her children and caring for her family.
Rawiyia Fathi Hasan al-Tanani was born and raised in Beit Hanoun, a town in the northern Gaza Strip. At the age of 36, she was married to Ra’fat Tanani, 38, and together they built a small household filled with the laughter of their children. Rawiyia was known for her gentle and nurturing nature, and neighbors recalled her deep devotion to her family. At the time of her death, she was pregnant, eagerly anticipating the arrival of another child into their family.
On May 13, 2021, her life, her children’s lives, and her unborn child’s life were all cut short when Israeli warplanes bombed their residential neighborhood without warning. The Tanani home was completely destroyed, erasing an entire family line. Rawiyia’s death, alongside her children’s, became a symbol of the devastation inflicted on Palestinian families during the 11-day assault on Gaza.
Sources & References
Rawiyia Fathi Hasan al-Tanani, 36, and her unborn child, were killed along with her husband and four young children 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 Rawiyia, 36, 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
In the early hours of Thursday morning, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of an entire family in the northern Gaza Strip. According to documentation gathered by Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP), Israeli warplanes launched at least 20 missiles at a densely populated residential neighborhood on Beit Lahiya’s Main Street shortly after 1 a.m. The strike killed Ra’fat Tanani, 38, his pregnant wife Rawiye, 35, and their four young children — Ismail, 6, Ameer, 5, Adham, 4, and Mohammad, 3. Search and rescue crews recovered the family’s bodies from the rubble around 7:30 p.m. that same day. A seventh family member remains unaccounted for. The aerial assault also killed two additional adults and wounded 33 others, including 10 children.2 findagrave.com Open source