In Gaza’s northern Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, Palestinian child Muhammad Abdurrahman al-Zanati was killed while trying to help civil defense worker Sharif Labad, who had been wounded in an Israeli attack.
Fourteen-year-old Muhammad ran to help Labad after seeing him wounded in an attack in the area on Tuesday. His mother said Muhammad was killed after sustaining injuries to his hand and body in a drone strike.
Muhammad turned 14 on July 22 and helped provide for his family’s daily needs amid the severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza. He particularly woke up early to obtain water and fill containers.
Muhammad helped his family
Muhammad’s mother described her son as the blessing of the household. She said he behaved with greater maturity than his age, performed the dawn prayer on time, observed all obligatory prayers and helped the people around him.
His mother said Muhammad continued to read the Quran and had completed the basic reading course known as Qaida Nooraniyyah. He also helped meet his family’s needs while continuing his education.
He was killed while trying to help the injured worker
While Muhammad was with his friends, civil defense worker Sharif Labad was wounded in an Israeli attack in the area. His mother said her son ran to rescue the injured worker when he saw him and was struck by a drone attack.
Footage showed Muhammad returning to the scene and moving toward the injured person, followed by a second attack. His mother said her son recited the shahada and prayed in his final moments.
The family could not say a final farewell
Muhammad’s family could not see his body for the last time because of the attacks and movement restrictions in the area. His mother said the body was quickly transported and buried, and that they were unable to bid farewell to their son.
In a statement issued in July, the Gaza Government Media Office said that children continued to be killed in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, 2025. It claimed that more than 21,500 children had been killed in Israeli attacks by the 1,000th day of the war that began in October 2023.
The same statement said that 1,022 of the children killed were under the age of one and that more than 520 had been born during the war. The Media Office said children, women and elderly people accounted for more than 55 percent of those killed by Israeli army fire.
It claimed that 1,386 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire began in Gaza, while more than 73,000 Palestinians had been killed and more than 174,000 wounded in the attacks continuing since October 8, 2023. According to the statement, the attacks caused destruction or damage to approximately 90 percent of the infrastructure in the area.
A joint assessment by the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union said that $71.4 billion would be needed over 10 years for Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction. The assessment found that approximately 85 percent of the buildings and infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed.
