The family of Shaban Al-Dalou, a Palestinian youth seen engulfed in flames following an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital compound, has shared their harrowing experience. The footage, showing tents ablaze after the attack on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, has been widely broadcast, capturing global attention.
Israel claims the strike, which occurred early on Monday, targeted a Hamas command centre and says it is investigating the fire, which it believes was caused by a secondary explosion. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of endangering civilians by operating within populated areas, a charge Hamas denies, insisting no fighters were present.
The graphic footage of the attack, showing Shaban Al-Dalou, who would have turned 20 on Wednesday, lying amidst burning debris, has provoked widespread condemnation. The US State Department has called the incident “horrific.” The fire claimed the lives of three others, including Al-Dalou’s mother, Ala’a Abdel Nasser Al-Dalou, aged 37.
Seventeen-year-old Mohammed Al-Dalou, Shaban’s younger brother, recounted the moment he witnessed his brother and mother on fire. “I can’t describe the feeling. I saw my brother burning in front of me, and my mother was burning,” he said, explaining that he had fled the tent when the explosion occurred.
Several witnesses recorded the aftermath, and videos of the incident have circulated globally. Reuters verified the footage, matching the location and structures shown with the scene’s current state. A journalist affiliated with Reuters later captured footage of rescue workers recovering Shaban Al-Dalou’s body, wrapped in a blanket.
Israel’s military confirmed it conducted “a precise strike on terrorists operating in a command centre” adjacent to the hospital. “Shortly after the strike, a fire ignited in the hospital’s parking lot, most likely due to secondary explosions. The incident is under review. The hospital and its functionality were not affected from the strike,” the statement added. Israel has stated that it uses precision weaponry, aerial surveillance, and intelligence to minimise civilian casualties.
In one of the verified videos, a series of over 20 small bangs and two larger explosions were heard. A medic at the hospital suggested the blasts could have been caused by cooking gas canisters igniting, although Reuters could not independently verify this claim.
Mohammed Al-Dalou described hearing the explosion and seeing thick black smoke. I saw my father pulling my younger siblings out, then I saw my brother Shaban in flames. I tried to reach him, but people held me back, he said.
Shaban’s aunt, Karbahan Al-Dalou, also spoke of the terror she felt when she woke to see the fire spreading towards her and her children. “I suddenly woke up to fire burning towards me and my children. I can’t describe to you how disturbing it was,” she said from Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where her family was taken.
The recent Israeli military invasion of Gaza began in response to Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, when Hamas fighters breached border defences and attacked Israeli communities, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 253 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
However, a recent report by Haaretz revealed that Israeli army helicopters and tanks were responsible for many of the casualties previously attributed to Hamas fighters, challenging official narratives.
The ongoing Israeli assault has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.