Shaban al-Dalou, a 19-year-old software engineering student, had been forced to live in central Gaza after being displaced from his home. With only days remaining before his 20th birthday, he worked tirelessly to secure aid for his family, documenting their struggles under continuous airstrikes. In these videos, he painted a grim picture of daily life in Gaza, yet despite his best efforts, he couldn’t raise enough money to help his family escape.
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Tragically, Shaban’s story gained attention only after his harrowing final moments were captured on video. In the early hours of Monday, Israeli forces bombed the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, where he and his mother, connected to an IV, were trapped and killed in the ensuing fire. The videos he recorded in the weeks before his death illustrated the harsh reality of life in Gaza. Speaking from the makeshift tent he and his family called home after fleeing their own, Shaban remarked, “There is no safe place here in Gaza.”
His story sheds light on the unimaginable hardships faced by civilians in conflict zones, where young lives with so much potential are tragically cut short.
