Palestinian grandfather whose tribute to slain granddaughter went viral is killed by Israeli fire in Gaza

A Palestinian grandfather in Gaza whose tribute to his slain granddaughter went viral last year was killed by Israeli fire on Monday, his family and a hospital said.

Khaled Nabhan drew global attention in a widely shared social media video of his moment of grief in November 2023, as he kissed his lifeless granddaughter Reem goodbye – the 3-year-old girl he called “the soul of my soul.”

His grandchildren, Reem and 5-year-old Tarek, were killed while they were sleeping in their bed last November. Their home was brought down by what Nabhan said at the time was a nearby Israeli airstrike in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp in southern Gaza.

On Monday, Khaled was killed by an Israeli tank shell, according to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

Saed said eyewitnesses told him that his uncle “saw injured people and ran to help, but he was instantly killed by another tank shell.”

He added: “What a great man we have lost. We will never have someone like him again.”

In footage shared on social media by local journalists in Gaza, Nabhan’s lifeless body is seen lying on a hospital bed, covered in blood, as weeping crowds huddle around him.

“Oh, Abu Diaa,” people are heard crying, referring to Nabhan by his nickname.