Tributes pour in for Palestinian burned alive in Israeli attack on al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

Social media is abuzz with tributes to Shaban al-Dalou, a 19-year-old Palestinian who was burned alive after an Israeli airstrike hit al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital and killed three other people.

Shaban was connected to an intravenous drip when the attack on the hospital tents took place and images posted on social media showed him trying to move as he was burned alive.

His brother, who saw his mother and brother burning in their tent, said Shaban survived an October 6 Israeli strike that targeted the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Mosque, where he was sleeping. Twenty people were killed in this attack.

Shaban, who was forcibly displaced last year when Israeli forces destroyed his home, had just started his university studies in software engineering in September 2023.

His final moments shocked millions and sparked widespread condemnation of Israel’s targeting of Palestinian civilians.

Questions of responsibility and dehumanization of Palestinians flooded social media after his death, with people highlighting the fact that he had been repeatedly displaced by Israeli attacks and injured before his death in hospital tents.

Social media users honored Shaban’s memory with a focus on life, describing him as a young man full of vitality and ingenuity. He even built the tent on the grounds of the hospital where he lost his life.

Jennifer Cassidy, a professor at Oxford University, paid tribute to Shaban, saying he was not an image on social media but a human being. She added that “the word war crime doesn’t even cover” the atrocities committed against him.

Say his name Shaban. The man, the human, the soul behind the photo seen around the world. The man who was burned alive by an evil regime while attached to an IV in a hospital.

The word war crime doesn’t even cover this topic. It’s not a number. Not a single person… pic.twitter.com/tbXj1Pix3A

– Dr Jennifer Cassidy (@OxfordDiplomat) October 14, 2024

Researcher and activist Philip Proudfoot remembers Shaban as a kind person who dreamed of living a normal life.

“May his murder haunt all Western politicians favoring genocide for the rest of their lives,” Proudfoot wrote.

This is Sha’ban – who we saw burning in a tent he had built for his family – set on fire by Israel. Let us also remember his kind face and his dreams of a normal life. May his assassination haunt all Western politicians favoring genocide for the rest of their lives. pic.twitter.com/j4LPmxfU7m

– Philippe Proudfoot 🇱🇧🇵🇸 (@PhilipProudfoot) October 14, 2024

The attack on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is not the first time that Israel has targeted displaced people in tents in Gaza. In May, an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah killed 45 people and beheaded a child.

Some on social media expressed anger and frustration over Israel repeatedly injuring Palestinians “while they miraculously survive one horrific attack only to kill them in another.”

I didn’t realize he was injured in a horrific airstrike last week. Do you know how insane it is that Israel repeatedly tortures Palestinians like this? Injuring them as they miraculously survive one horrific attack only to kill them in another. https://t.co/uKLIAVvkB2

– Laila Al-Arian (@LailaAlarian) October 15, 2024

Many users shared Shaban’s story and the videos he recorded before he was killed. One user wrote that he was the sole provider for his family.

“Now he is gone, leaving behind two sisters and a little brother with no one to look after them.”

Early Monday morning, the Israeli army attacked tents housing displaced people at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, sparking a fire that killed four people and injured many others. Journalists and residents shared images on social media showing tents engulfed in flames as people desperately tried to put out the fires and rescue those trapped inside.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed that the air force carried out the attack and said the hospital was a “command and control center” used by Hamas. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claims.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza last October, Israeli authorities have frequently stated that civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools, were used by Hamas as command and control centers, without providing evidence.