Palestinian father’s twin babies killed by Israeli airstrike while he collects birth certificates

In a moment of sheer disbelief and overwhelming sorrow, Mohammad Abu Al Qumsan collapsed in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza on Tuesday. His grief was palpable as he pleaded with health officials, “I beg you. I beg you. Let me see them,” referring to his newborn twins, Aysal and Aser, and his wife, Jumana, aged 28.

Just hours earlier, Al Qumsan had left his home in Deir al-Balah to obtain birth certificates for his three-day-old twins. The twins, a boy and a girl, were the latest addition to his family, born only days ago. However, while he was away, an Israeli airstrike hit his home, claiming the lives of his newborn children and his wife, who had just given birth.

Footage captured by a freelance journalist for CNN showed the distraught father surrounded by mourners at Al Aqsa Hospital. Men could be seen comforting him, gently stroking his forehead as he struggled to process the unimaginable loss. Later, Al Qumsan was filmed kneeling beside the shrouded bodies of his loved ones, reciting Islamic funeral prayers alongside rows of worshippers.

Jumana, a pharmacist, and their twins were among at least 23 people killed in several Israeli airstrikes in the area, according to hospital officials. The strikes also claimed the life of a nine-month-old baby. The Israeli military, in response to inquiries, stated that “the details of the incident as published are not currently known to the IDF,” adding that its operations target only military objectives and that it takes measures to minimize civilian harm.

At the funeral, an imam sought to comfort the grieving father, saying, “May God unite you together in paradise my dear. I swear to God you will be reunited with them in paradise and be with them forever.”

Al Qumsan, who had moved his family to Deir al-Balah in a desperate attempt to protect his pregnant wife from Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign, now faces a future without them. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that at least 115 babies have been born and killed since the escalation of violence began.

Jumana had recently shared her joy on social media, celebrating the birth of her twins and calling them a “miracle.” The couple had been married last summer, before the outbreak of the current conflict.

Israel’s military offensive, which began on 7 October 2023 following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel, has resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian deaths, including more than 16,400 children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The ongoing violence has also left over 92,000 people injured.

The UN’s children’s agency, UNICEF, has described the situation in Gaza as an “unrelenting” war on children, estimating that at least 17,000 children have been separated from their families or are unaccompanied. Salim Oweis, a communications officer for UNICEF, expressed shock at the scale of suffering, destruction, and displacement in Gaza, stating that the true extent of the devastation goes far beyond what is seen on television.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen as the population of over 2.2 million people faces the threat of famine and disease. Relief efforts are hampered by Israeli restrictions on aid, and the region’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, with less than half of its 36 hospitals partially operational.

As the conflict drags on, the stories of loss, like that of Mohammad Abu Al Qumsan, are becoming all too common, underscoring the devastating human toll of the violence in Gaza.

“The Israeli army is one of the most criminal armies in the world,” Chris Sidoti, a member of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in June. The COI was presenting findings of its report into abuses committed on both sides since Israel’s war on Gaza began.