Yehya Mohammed Sobhi al-Hadidi
Yehya died from injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike that struck a residential building in the al-Shati refugee camp.
In the early hours of May 21, 2021, Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building in the al-Shati refugee camp without prior warning to evacuate. The airstrike involved the launch of six missiles that completely destroyed the home. Yehya and his family were sleeping when the building was bombed. Trapped under the rubble, Yehya succumbed to the impact of the missile strike. His body was later recovered during rescue operations. The strike resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, including seven children and two women, and caused severe destruction to nearby homes and structures.
Biography
Yehya Mohammed Sobhi al-Hadidi was a 10-year-old Palestinian child from the al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza. He was tragically killed on May 21, 2021, when Israeli warplanes struck a residential home without warning during an overnight air raid. Yehya died alongside his mother and three siblings, all of whom were buried under the rubble. His body was only discovered hours later during search and rescue efforts. His death is part of a larger tragedy in which entire families were wiped out in a single strike amid Israel's military offensive on Gaza.
Yehya Mohammed Sobhi al-Hadidi was born and raised in the al-Shati refugee camp, one of the most densely populated and impoverished areas of the Gaza Strip. At just 10 years old, he was known as a playful and loving child, growing up in a close-knit family. On the night of May 21, 2021, during the sixth day of the Israeli military offensive on Gaza, Yehya was at home with his family when Israeli warplanes launched six missiles targeting a three-story residential building belonging to the Abu Hatab family.
The strike came without warning, and the building collapsed while families were sleeping inside. Yehya, his mother Maha Mohammed Abdul ‘Aal Abu Hatab (al-Hadidi), and his three brothers were killed in the attack. Rescue teams worked for hours to pull bodies from beneath the rubble. His 5-month-old baby brother was the only one from their immediate family to survive, moderately injured.
Yehya's death, like many others during the 2021 offensive, became symbolic of the indiscriminate and devastating toll the airstrikes took on Gaza's civilians—particularly children. The al-Hadidi family was one of several families nearly entirely wiped out in that single night
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
The most heart-wrenching plea came from Mohammed Sobhi al-Hadidi, the father of Yehya and husband of Maha, who lost his wife and four of their five children in the airstrike on the al-Shati refugee camp. His emotional devastation was captured by several media outlets, where he appeared holding his only surviving child — a five-month-old baby rescued from the rubble.
In his grief, Mohammed was seen weeping and asking, "What did they do? They were just children… just sleeping in safety in their home. Why did they kill my family?" His sorrow turned into a desperate call for justice, questioning how the world could remain silent as entire families were obliterated in seconds.
“I took my family to my in-laws’ house thinking they would be safer there,” he told reporters. “Then the missile came. They were all killed — my wife, my sons, my little girl — all gone.” He described the horror of finding their bodies, crushed beneath rubble, lifeless.
Mohammed’s plea extended beyond personal grief. He called on the international community and human rights organizations to hold Israel accountable and to end the impunity for attacks on civilians. “No one warned us. No one told them to leave.
Additional Information
Sources & References
The most heart-wrenching plea came from Mohammed Sobhi al-Hadidi, the father of Yehya and husband of Maha, who lost his wife and four of their five children in the airstrike on the al-Shati refugee camp. His emotional devastation was captured by several media outlets, where he appeared holding his only surviving child — a five-month-old baby rescued from the rubble. In his grief, Mohammed was seen weeping and asking, "What did they do? They were just children… just sleeping in safety in their home. Why did they kill my family?" His sorrow turned into a desperate call for justice, questioning how the world could remain silent as entire families were obliterated in seconds. “I took my family to my in-laws’ house thinking they would be safer there,” he told reporters. “Then the missile came. They were all killed — my wife, my sons, my little girl — all gone.” He described the horror of finding their bodies, crushed beneath rubble, lifeless. Clutching his surviving baby in his arms, he said: "I only have this child left. He will never know his mother, or his brothers. What future can I give him in a world that lets this happen?"1 israelpalestinetimeline.org Open source