Siham Yousif Mohammed al-Rantisi

Their life

Siham Yousif Mohammed al-Rantisi was a 66-year-old grandmother from the al-Jneina neighborhood in Rafah, southern Gaza. On the evening of May 13, 2021, she was at home with her family when Israeli warplanes bombed the three-story house, killing her, her 2-year-old grandson Ibrahim, her son Raed, and her daughter-in-law Shaima. Fifteen others were injured in the same attack. Siham’s life, devoted to her family and community, was ended abruptly in a place where she should have been safe. Her death became part of the larger tragedy of the May 2021 bombardment, which devastated Rafah and wiped out entire Palestinian families in seconds.

Born in Rafah, southern Gaza, Siham Yousif Mohammed al-Rantisi spent her 66 years in one of the most challenging corners of the Gaza Strip, an area long marked by displacement, poverty, and repeated wars. She was a mother and grandmother, remembered as a family-oriented woman who kept her loved ones close, even in times of crisis. During the May 2021 Israeli bombardment, when families across Gaza sought shelter together in their homes, Siham gathered with her children and grandchildren under one roof in the al-Jneina neighborhood.

On the evening of May 14, that roof collapsed upon them when an Israeli missile struck the house. Siham was killed instantly, together with three generations of her family: her young grandson Ibrahim (only 2 years old), her son Raed (29), and her daughter-in-law Shaima (21). The strike left her extended family shattered and wounded, with fifteen others injured, including young children.

Siham’s death was not only a personal tragedy but also symbolic of the collective suffering end

How they died

Siham Yousif Mohammed al-Rantisi, 66, was killed by Israeli missiles.

On May 14, 2021, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at her family’s three-story home in the al-Jneina neighborhood of Rafah, southern Gaza. The strike occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. while the family was gathered together during the bombardment. The attack killed Siham, her 2-year-old grandson Ibrahim, her son Raed (29), and her daughter-in-law Shaima (21). Fifteen others, including seven children, were wounded. The home was destroyed, adding to dozens of other houses and apartment buildings that were bombarded across Rafah and Gaza that same night.

A plea from the family

In their grief, they described Siham as the backbone of the family — a grandmother whose presence gave comfort and strength to her children and grandchildren. “We were gathered together as a family, hoping to stay safe,” a relative said, “but instead the missile found us in our own home. We lost a grandmother, a son, a young mother, and a baby in an instant.”

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Siham Yousif Mohammed al-Rantisi, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources