Palestinian grandfather Khaled Nabhan, whose heartfelt words for his slain granddaughter went viral last year, was killed by Israeli fire on Monday in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
Nabhan attracted global attention after a social media video documenting him grieving the killing of his three-year-old granddaughter, Reem, went viral. The video showed Nabhan holding her body and affectionately calling her “the soul of my soul.”
“I used to kiss her on her cheeks, on her nose, and she would giggle,” he told CNN shortly after her killing in November 2023. “I kissed her, but she wouldn’t wake up.”
Nabhan’s name has joined a long list of martyrs who symbolized the resilience of innocent Palestinians who are currently subjected to a brutal genocide.
Khaled Nabhan was killed by an Israeli tank shell in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Khaled’s nephew, Saed Nabhan, told CNN on Monday that Israeli tanks shelled their neighborhoods. He was horrified to see his uncle among the dead as he dashed to Al-Awda Hospital.
Saed relayed eyewitness reports that stated that Khaled rushed to help injured people before Israeli tanks fired at him, killing him instantly.
Social media footage of the aftermath shows weeping crowds surrounding Nabhan’s dead body, crying out his nickname “Abu Diaa” (Diaa’s Father).