'I didn't hear him scream,' says Gaza teenager who watched his brother die in Deir Al Balah fire

Mohammed Al Dalou's older brother Shaban had escaped death once before when an air strike hit a mosque he was praying in

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Mohammed Al Dalou, 17, is now the eldest son in his family after his brother Shaban died in a fire caused by an Israeli strike two days before his 20th birthday.

Mohammed also lost his mother in the attack on Al Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in central Gaza's Deir Al Balah area on Monday. At least four people died and dozens were injured in the fire as it swept through the tents of displaced families living in the hospital compound.

"It was a difficult day," Mohammed, who was in a different tent from his family at the time, told The National. "I heard the explosion and rushed to see what had happened. Our tent was on fire."

His father was frantically trying to pull out Mohammed's younger siblings – an 11-year-old brother and two sisters aged 14 and 19 – while Shaban and his mother remained trapped inside. Video of the attack and of flames engulfing the flimsy tents was widely shared. It showed someone lying on a bed, seemingly waving for help. That was Shaban.

Mohammed tried to reach his brother as the fire consumed their tent. "There was about six metres between me and him," he said. "But someone stopped me from getting closer. I saw the flames engulf him, but I didn’t hear him scream. He was calm, raising his finger for the shahada, the declaration of faith, until the very end."

Shaban’s mother never stirred. Mohammed suspects she was killed by the explosion before the fire reached her. His father and three surviving siblings suffered serious injuries requiring treatment. Mohammed has yet to tell his siblings of the deaths of their mother and eldest brother. "I don’t know how to tell them," he confessed. "I’m waiting until they’re better."

Shaban had survived a previous Israeli air strike while praying inside a mosque. He had been reading the Quran and was injured but recovered. "He was preparing for a Quran recitation competition," Mohammed said, reflecting on his brother’s devotion.

"Shaban was so kind. He always reminded me to pray and encouraged me to improve myself. He wanted to study medicine, but when he couldn’t, he chose to study IT in college instead. He was in his second year and worked online during the war. He even told me to learn English." Shaban loved children and often brought them sweets, he said, always finding time to play with them despite the bleak circumstances created by war.

'Safety never came'

The hospital in Deir Al Balah was only the latest stop for Mohammed's family as they sought refuge after fleeing their home in Gaza city. They had been to Rafah, Khan Younis, the Mawasi area and Nuseirat in their search for safety. "We fled around 10 times," Mohammed said. "But safety never came."

The air strike that killed his mother and brother did not hit their tent but an area nearby. However, it started a fire that tore rapidly through the tents of his family and others.

For Mohammed, the loss is unbearable. "Shaban survived one air strike only to be taken by another," he said quietly, his voice trembling as he spoke of his brother’s unfulfilled dreams, his kindness, and the cruel fate that met him in a place they thought would offer refuge.

He worries, too, about his siblings, hoping that they can get treatment abroad because of the seriousness of their injuries. All he knows is that they are alive – and that, for now, is all that matters.