‘Soul of my soul’: Israeli shelling kills Gaza grandfather who moved world

Israeli shelling in Gaza has killed Khaled Nabhan, a Palestinian man who became widely known after a video showed him kissing the eyes of his slain granddaughter and calling her “soul of my soul” last year.

Nabhan, who was known as “Abu Diaa”, was killed early on Monday in an Israeli bombardment targeting the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, local sources have confirmed.

Israeli air strikes had killed his granddaughter, Reem, and grandson Tarek in November 2023.

A viral video of Nabhan cradling the lifeless body of Reem garnered hundreds of thousands of views on social media and was covered by international news outlets. His grief was seen as emblematic of the pain Israeli bombardment was inflicting on the besieged territory.

Nearly 13 months later, his own killing shows the toll of Israel’s war on Gaza and the absence of safety anywhere in the territory.The revered grandfather was killed in an Israeli attack that targeted the home belonging to the Abu Hajar family. At least four others were killed in the bombing, including a child, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

In the weeks and months after his loss, Nabhan helped rescuers and medics take care of injured Palestinians – and particularly children – while trying to cope with his own grief.

Reem was three when she was killed alongside five-year-old Tarek.

Palestinian rights advocates paid tribute to Nabhan on Monday, with many recalling his bond with Reem as well as his charitable acts in the months after she was killed.

“They first murdered his granddaughter, ‘the soul of his soul’, then bombed his family’s home & now murdered him in broad daylight with impunity,” Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza, wrote in a social media post.

“After Israel killed his granddaughter, he spent a year spreading hope, helping those in need, handing out food to starving kids & kittens, & cherishing every moment he could have with his mom.”

Palestinian-American preacher and activist Omar Suleiman said Nabhan was killed by the “most evil army on earth”.

“The man had an angelic presence, smiling in the face of genocide, wandering through hospitals and camps to calm people despite his pains,” Suleiman wrote on X.

“I longed for the day I would meet him in person. I imagined the day the genocide would end, and he would be celebrated with awards on the grandest stages.”