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 three-year-old girl he called “the soul of my soul”.

“I used to kiss her on her cheeks, on her nose and she would giggle,” he told CNN at the time. “I kissed her but she wouldn’t wake up.”

His grandchildren, Reem and five-year-old Tarek, were killed while they were sleeping in their bed. 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.

Speaking to CNN following the strike, Khaled described his final evening with his grandchildren, breaking down in tears as he recalled how they begged him to take them outside to play. He had refused because of the danger from Israeli airstrikes, he said.

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

Saed Nabhan, Khaled’s nephew, told CNN on Monday that there was tank shelling in their neighborhood. As he ran towards Al-Awda Hospital, he was shocked to find his uncle among those killed.

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.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.