Yusof Abu Musa
Yusof Abu Musa was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home on October 15, 2023.
On the evening of October 15, 2023, Israeli warplanes bombed residential neighborhoods in Khan Younis, Gaza. The Abu Musa family home was hit directly while the children were watching television. The roof collapsed, fatally injuring Yusof, while his siblings survived with injuries. Rescue teams and his mother managed to save Jury and Hamed, but Yusof’s body was later recovered and taken to Nasser hospital, where his father identified him. His death was one of many among hundreds of Palestinian children killed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, reflecting the devastating impact of aerial bombardments on families and the youngest members of society.
Biography
Yusof Abu Musa was a seven-year-old Palestinian boy from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. The youngest child of Mohamed and Rawan Abu Musa, Yusof lived with his two siblings, Jury and Hamed. Like many children in Gaza, he grew up amid war and hardship, but he found joy in simple moments—watching cartoons powered by the solar panels his father installed. On October 15, 2023, Yusof was killed when an Israeli airstrike struck his family home. His siblings survived, but his death left his parents heartbroken. Remembered as cheerful, affectionate, and ambitious, Yusof had dreamed of becoming a doctor, inspired by his father’s work at Nasser hospital.
Born in Gaza in 2016, Yusof Abu Musa was the youngest of three siblings. His father, Mohamed, worked as a radiographer at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, while his mother, Rawan, cared for him and his siblings at home. Despite the harsh conditions of life in the Gaza Strip—marked by a blockade, repeated escalations, and frequent power outages—Yusof’s family created small pockets of normalcy. Thanks to solar panels his father had installed, Yusof and his siblings could enjoy watching cartoons when electricity was otherwise unavailable.
On October 15, 2023, that fragile sense of normal life was shattered. While Yusof and his siblings were sitting together to watch television, an Israeli airstrike struck their house. The blast caused the roof to collapse, killing Yusof instantly. His sister Jury was pulled from the rubble with head injuries, and his brother Hamed survived. Their father, working a 24-hour hospital shift, was met by his wife Rawan in the emergency ward, frantically searching for their youngest child. Later, Mohamed found Yusof’s lifeless body in the hospital morgue.
Yusof is remembered not only as a victim of war but as a bright child with a kind heart. His father recalled the last moment they shared—Yusof hugged him tightly, kissed him, and said goodbye after receiving biscuits and bananas before his father left for work. He dreamed of becoming a doctor, following in his father’s footsteps, but his life was cut tragically short at only seven years old.
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
The death of seven-year-old Yusof left his family devastated. His mother, Rawan, arrived at Nasser hospital in tears, desperately searching for her “handsome and curly-haired son.” A video of her pleas, asking if anyone had seen him, spread widely on social media, capturing the raw grief of a mother who had just lost her youngest child.
His father, Mohamed, a radiographer at the same hospital, was working a 24-hour shift when he learned that his home had been bombed. He described how the last time he saw Yusof alive, the boy had run to the door to hug him tightly before he left for work, kissed him, and said goodbye after being given biscuits and bananas. Later that night, Mohamed found his son’s lifeless body in the hospital morgue, a moment he recalls with unbearable sorrow.
Yusof’s siblings, 13-year-old Jury and nine-year-old Hamed, survived the strike but were left shaken. Jury suffered head injuries but, as her parents say, she is “improving.” Both children continue to grapple with the trauma of losing their little brother while narrowly surviving themselves.
The family’s pleas are not only for their beloved son but also for an end to the suffering of children in
Additional Information
Sources & References
The death toll in Gaza is rising as Israel presses on with its war against Hamas, following the attacks on 7 October in which 1,400 people were killed in Israel. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 9,000 people have been killed since the war began. Because of safety concerns, there are relatively few journalists in Gaza to document the human cost of the fighting. But the BBC has been speaking to a number of families and eyewitnesses who have told us stories of loved ones who have been killed in recent days.1 bbc.com Open source