Dunia Iyad Abu Mohsen was 12 years old and lived north of Khan Younis. Her story reflects the terrible experiences of Palestinian children in Gaza—displacement, bombardment, orphanhood, disability, and being killed by Israel.
Dunia’s family—her parents and siblings—had to flee from Al Qarara to the home of relatives in the Al Amal neighborhood in eastern Khan Younis, due to the evacuation orders progressively issued by Israel.
On October 27, 2023, the building where they were taking shelter was bombed. Dunia lost a leg, and her parents, her brother Mohammed, her sister Dalia, and two other relatives were killed in the bombing. Dunia was taken to the Nasser Hospital complex.
On November 25, 2023, she gave an interview that went viral, in which she told her story and expressed her wish to receive a prosthetic leg, become a doctor, and see an end to the “war.” James Elmer, UNICEF spokesperson in Gaza, recounted her story in Geneva and described the suffering inflicted on the children of Gaza by Israel.
On December 17, 2023, at 10 p.m., an Israeli tank besieging Nasser Hospital fired two missiles, one of which struck Dunia’s room, killing her. Journalist Saleh Al Fajarawi posted about it on Instagram and on Middle East Monitor.
Dunia’s surviving siblings attended her funeral. Israel has killed more than 20,000 children in Gaza, destroying its 36 hospitals and leaving the world’s largest population of amputees and orphans among children during the three years of the Gaza genocide.
Drawings by Dolores Collado
Full history to print: 067_Dunia_english.pdf
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