Gaza Herald — What had been designated as a humanitarian “safe zone” became the scene of another deadly attack after an Israeli strike hit a displacement tent in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, killing one-year-old Suwar Abu Draz and her mother while leaving the child’s father as the sole survivor of his immediate family.
Sair Abu Draz said the family had been asleep inside their tent when a powerful explosion tore through the shelter, igniting it within seconds.
“We woke to a massive blast that shook the entire tent,” he recalled. “When I opened my eyes, the fabric was on fire and smoke was everywhere. I started calling for Suwar and her mother. When I lifted the blanket, they were covered in blood.”
He said he desperately tried to extinguish the flames with his bare hands before pulling his daughter from the burning tent.
“I held her in my arms. She was still warm, but her soul was already gone,” he said. “Where is the safety they promised us? The fire consumed our tent and our entire life.”
At Nasser Medical Complex, Abu Draz stood silently beside his daughter’s body, unable to speak as he stared at the child, whose first birthday had been celebrated only days earlier. His wife lay nearby after also being killed in the strike.
According to relatives, Suwar had barely begun life before it was cut short. Instead of learning her first words, she had grown up surrounded by the sound of explosions and displacement.
The attack comes despite the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, which residents say has failed to halt Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip. Palestinians have increasingly described the truce as existing only in name, citing continued attacks on residential areas and displacement camps.
The strike that hit the Abu Draz family’s tent also wounded several other displaced Palestinians sheltering nearby, adding to a growing list of attacks on areas previously designated for civilians.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli forces had committed 3,465 alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement as of June 29, 2026. Those incidents reportedly resulted in the deaths of 1,045 Palestinians, injuries to 3,380 others, and the detention of 113 Palestinians during the truce period.
The office also reported that more than 2,200 Palestinian families have been completely wiped out since the beginning of the war, while over 5,120 additional families have been left with only a single surviving member.
After burying his wife and daughter, Abu Draz returned to the same burned tent where they had sought refuge.
“I went back to the same tent believing I would return with my wife and daughter,” he said. “Instead, I came back alone. The smell of blood and fire is still there.”
For him, the tent no longer represents shelter but the place where, in a matter of moments, he lost his family, leaving behind memories he says will remain with him for the rest of his life.
