Wafa Yousef Nabil Akila, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on the very first day of the new school year. She and her father, Yousef Nabil Rabah Akila, were killed recently in an Israeli drone strike while riding in a car together in western Gaza City. Medical officials at al-Shifa Hospital said six other Palestinians were wounded in the strike.
The car was struck near the Hamid intersection. Just hours before the attack, Wafa had been photographed in her blue school uniform, smiling and giving a thumbs-up. She had gone out with her father to buy new books, notebooks and school supplies, excited to return to school. After the strike, her schoolbooks and supplies were seen scattered beside the wreckage of the car.
The Israeli military initially said the strike had targeted a Hamas member and that the results of the strike were under review. It later claimed that Wafa’s father, Yousef Akila, was a company commander in Hamas’s Nukhba force. Israeli forces alleged he was involved in planning attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians and was working to rebuild Hamas’s military capability. However, no evidence has been publicly presented to support these claims.
Wafa’s death has once again highlighted the devastation of children’s education in Gaza. The prolonged war has destroyed or damaged a large portion of Gaza’s education infrastructure. Many children are now studying in tents, makeshift classrooms or shelters for displaced people. While the new school year is officially set to begin in late September, some schools and alternative learning centers have already opened.
Reports of other children killed in attacks elsewhere in Gaza also emerged Sunday. Sadi Ghalia, 7, was killed in an Israeli shelling of the Sakina School in eastern Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where displaced families had taken shelter. Several others were wounded in the attack.
Although a ceasefire is said to be in effect in Gaza, attacks and deaths are reported to be continuing. Wafa’s death has sparked widespread outrage on social media. Many have highlighted the stark contrast between the joy of returning to school and the child’s brutal death, asking how a child who simply wanted to return to her education with new books and notebooks found that path closed off by war instead.