Alaa Azam was a 21-year-old Palestinian university student, well known for his Quran recitations and religious chants (tajwid). His Instagram account was: @alaa_azam_1.
He lived in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. He had an older brother and three sisters.
In January 2024, Israel bombed his home, killing two of his sisters—Hind and Islam—along with 13 other family members and leaving his mother seriously injured.
He had to flee south. Despite hunger and deprivation, he recorded and shared Quranic recitations to offer encouragement in the face of adversity. He also participated in the organization @heart4thechildren, which distributed water and food.
At the end of January 2025, with the ceasefire, he returned to Gaza City; he was overjoyed to be reunited with his older brother Hussam, his brother’s pregnant wife, and their son.
On July 14, 2025, Israel bombed the house again with an incendiary missile, completely destroying the building, which housed eight families. Everyone was killed, including Alaa, his sister Amiri, Hussam’s pregnant wife, and their son. Only a 9-year-old girl from the Azam family survived, with serious injuries. Many of the bodies could not be recovered from the rubble.
Drawings by Carmen Fernandez
Full story to print: 051_Alaa_english.pdf
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