Shaymaa’ Alaa Abu al-‘Auf

Their life

Shaymaa’ Alaa Subhi Abu al-‘Auf, 21, was a resident of Gaza City who was killed on May 17, 2021, when Israeli warplanes bombarded homes in al-Wehda Street. Her body was recovered from under the rubble by medical and civil defense crews following the devastating airstrike, which was part of a massacre that killed 44 Palestinians in that area alone. The attacks caused massive destruction to residential buildings, commercial structures, and public facilities, and resulted in high civilian casualties.

Shaymaa’ Alaa Subhi Abu al-‘Auf, aged 21, lived in Gaza City and was among the victims of the al-Wehda Street massacre on May 17, 2021. That day, Israeli warplanes launched multiple airstrikes across the city, hitting residential and commercial buildings, public facilities, and infrastructure. Shaymaa’s home in al-Wehda Street was struck, and she was buried under the rubble. Rescue teams later retrieved her body. This strike alone killed 44 people, many of them members of the Abu al-‘Aouf family, and wounded dozens more. The attack was part of a broader Israeli offensive that by that date had killed at least 213 Palestinians, including 61 children and 35 women, and injured over 950 others. The bombardments left large swathes of Gaza City in ruins and devastated entire families.

How they died

She was Killed in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed her home on al-Wehda Street, Gaza City.

Shaymaa was killed when Israeli missiles struck her residential building on al-Wehda Street in Gaza City. The strike caused the collapse of the structure, trapping her under the rubble. She died instantly or shortly thereafter from the impact and injuries sustained during the building’s destruction.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Shaymaa’ Alaa Abu al-‘Auf, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources