In Gaza’s northern Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, 14-year-old Muhammad Abdurrahman al-Zanati was killed while heading to the scene to help an injured civil defense officer.
Muhammad ran to help Sharif Labd after seeing him injured in an Israeli attack in the area on Tuesday. According to his mother, Muhammad was wounded in his hand and body in a drone strike and later died.
Muhammad turned 14 on July 22. The child supported his family amid Gaza’s severe humanitarian conditions, rising early in the morning to help secure water and fill containers.
Muhammad shared his family’s burdens
His mother described him as the blessing of the household. She said Muhammad acted more maturely than his age, performed the dawn prayer on time, observed all obligatory prayers and helped the people around him.
His mother said Muhammad continued to read the Quran and had completed the basic reading course known as al-Qaida al-Nuraniyya. While attending school, he also helped meet his family’s daily needs.
He tried to reach the injured civil defense officer
Muhammad was with his friends when Sharif Labd was injured in an Israeli attack in the area. His mother said her son ran to rescue the wounded officer after seeing him, and was then hit by a drone strike.
Footage showed Muhammad later returning to the area and moving toward the injured man, followed by a second strike. His mother said her son recited the declaration of faith and prayed in his final moments.
Family could not bid him a final farewell
Because of the attacks and movement restrictions, Muhammad’s family could not see him for the last time. His mother said his body was quickly taken away and buried, leaving them unable to say goodbye.
Children were also killed in incidents in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, 2025. In a statement issued in July, the Gaza Government Media Office claimed that more than 21,500 children had been killed in Israeli attacks by the 1,000th day of the war that began in October 2023.
In the same statement, the Media Office said 1,022 of the children killed were under one year old and more than 520 had been born during the war. The statement said children, women and older people accounted for more than 55 percent of those killed by Israeli army fire.
The Gaza Government Media Office claimed that 1,386 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire began, while more than 73,000 Palestinians had been killed and more than 174,000 injured in attacks that have continued since October 8, 2023. The statements said the attacks had destroyed or damaged approximately 90 percent of the area’s infrastructure.
According to a joint assessment by the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union, Gaza needs $71.4 billion over 10 years for recovery and reconstruction. The assessment said approximately 85 percent of buildings and infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed.
