Live Broadcast Worldwide of 19-Year-Old Youth Burning Alive... The Tragedy of Gaza Strip

Global Outrage Over Video Engulfed in Flames

A video showing a 19-year-old youth from Gaza being burned alive in a refugee tent village next to a hospital has spread worldwide, sparking global outrage. He had pitched a tent next to the hospital, believing that Israel would abide by international law prohibiting attacks on medical facilities, but he met a tragic fate.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 20th (local time), Shaban Aldalu, a university student, died in flames on the 14th at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital site in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

The image of Aldalu engulfed in flames, helplessly waving his arms, was vividly recorded on video by witnesses in the refugee camp and spread as a symbol of the horrors of war and the grief of Gaza residents. The shocking footage capturing the last moments of Aldalu and other refugees has heightened international concerns about Israel’s conduct of the war.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated in a statement on the 16th regarding this video, "There are no words to describe what we have seen," emphasizing, "Israel has the responsibility to take all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties, even if Hamas operated near the hospital."

Aldalu, who died in a fire at a refugee camp near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza on the 14th. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Before the war broke out, Aldalu was an ordinary university student. He studied at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City and dreamed of earning a doctoral degree in software abroad. Despite the war, Aldalu did not give up on life; he posted appeals on social media to stop the war and sought help through the online fundraising site GoFundMe.

Israel stated that the recent airstrike around Al-Aqsa Hospital targeted Hamas militants disguised as refugees. However, the flames engulfed Aldalu, his mother, and other refugees in the hospital parking lot.

Israel continues its offensive on Gaza even after eliminating Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. On the 20th, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported, "After Israeli forces conducted airstrikes on northern Beit Lahia and other areas the previous day, 108 people died," adding, "The damage increased as rescue teams could not reach victims trapped under debris and on roads due to Israel’s military operations."