Suleiman Shublaq

Their life

Suleiman Shublaq, aged 3, was the young son of humanitarian worker Tasneem Shublaq from Gaza City. Known for his innocence and bright presence, he lived amidst unimaginable hardship and conflict. Suleiman was killed alongside his mother, his sister Sham, and his unborn sibling in an Israeli airstrike on 20 September 2025, leaving his family and community devastated.

Suleiman Shublaq was born in Gaza into a family that valued resilience and service to others. His mother, Tasneem, was a 27-year-old psychologist dedicated to supporting children’s mental health through her work with Juzoor for Health and Community Development, in partnership with Oxfam and Plan International. Despite displacement orders and ongoing Israeli bombardments, Suleiman’s family chose to stay in Gaza City so his mother could continue her humanitarian work. On 20 September 2025, their home became the target of an Israeli airstrike that took Suleiman’s life at only 3 years old, along with his mother, sister Sham (5), and unborn sibling. His short life, marked by both joy and constant danger, tragically ended in circumstances that reflect the wider suffering of children in Gaza.

How they died

Suleiman Shublaq died in an Israeli airstrike.

On 20 September 2025, Israeli forces launched an airstrike on Gaza City that struck the home where Suleiman was with his family. The attack instantly killed him, his sister Sham, and their pregnant mother Tasneem. Suleiman’s father survived but was critically injured. The airstrike was part of a larger pattern of military assaults targeting civilian homes, health facilities, and humanitarian workers, resulting in the deaths of countless children like Suleiman.

A plea from the family

Suleiman Shublaq’s surviving relatives have voiced grief that words can barely capture. His father, who was critically injured in the same airstrike, remains in fragile condition and has pleaded through colleagues and humanitarian partners for the world not to turn away from their pain. The family had already endured the unbearable loss of Suleiman’s brother, Muslam, in a previous Israeli strike, and now must face the devastation of losing Suleiman, Sham, their mother Tasneem, and the unborn baby. Their pleas, echoed by relatives and colleagues, call for justice and protection: “How many children must we bury before the world acts? Suleiman was only three years old. He should have been playing, learning, and laughing with his siblings, not killed in his own home. We beg the international community to protect our children and stop this endless cycle of death.”

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Suleiman Shublaq, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources