Shaban al-Dalou was a 19-year-old Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip who was burned alive during the bombing of Al-Aqsa hospital by the Israel Defense Forces on October 13, 2024.[1][2][3] The area had been designated as a safe zone and as a result was densely populated with patients as well as refugees who had set up camps around the hospital. Shaban's story gained widespread attention when a video began to circulate online of Shaban trapped in the hospital bed by the IV drip to which he was connected while trying to get out and burning alive.[4] Shaban's mother was also burned alive in the fire.[4] Shaban's younger siblings and father were also severely burned in the attack.[5] A few days after the attack, on October 17, 2024, Shaban's younger brother, 11-year old, Abdul Rahman al-Dalou, died after succumbing to the severe burns.[6]
Life
Shaban was born on October 16, 2004, he had two brothers and two sisters. According to his mother he had memorized the Quran by heart. In the final university qualifying exam, Tawjihi, Shaban had scored 97.9% and had just started studying software engineering at Al-Azhar University in Gaza in September 2023.[4] Shaban loved to play PES and FIFA on the PlayStation. He was also an avid lover of football, playing with his friends at Gaza's five-a-side courts. He was an avid Real Madrid fan and his favourite player was Karim Benzema.[7] Shaban's favorite food was vegetable pizza from Al-Taboon Restaurant in Gaza City.[7] Shaban dreamt of leaving Gaza, and had been applying to universities in the UK, Ireland, and Qatar to continue his studies.[7]
Prior to arriving at Al-Aqsa hospital, al-Dalou and his family had been forcibly displaced 5 times.[5] Shaban's father was a taxi driver and his mother was a babysitter, with the limited money they had they were able to evacuate their bombed home. After their home was bombed by the IDF, Shaban started a GoFundMe page to try and raise funds for his family to evacuate from Gaza.[7] As the eldest of 5 kids, Shaban was the primary earner for his family starting a falafel stand near the hospital.[7] He had also erected the tent in which his family was staying.[5] A week prior to his killing, Shaban had survived the IDF's bombing of the Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque and had been transferred to Al-Aqsa hospital to receive treatment.[4] His father, who survived with burns on his face, stated, "My son was being burned in front of me".[8]
Reaction
Cori Bush: “There are no words powerful enough to capture the agony of human beings being massacred & burned alive. The U.S. is funding & arming the Israeli military’s extermination of the Palestinian people. It’s unconscionable.”[9]
Sonny Bill Williams: “They’re burning people alive but some of you are still scared to speak out”[9]
Omar Suleiman: "His name was Shaaban. He was loved by his family and friends, a memorizer of the Quran. He’s named after the month that in the Islamic tradition is referred to as the forgotten month. Let him never be forgotten."[9]
Roger Waters: “I’ve just watched the video of the young man burning in the tent…Israel is a disgusting genocidal state beyond anything”[9]
United Nations Children’s Fund: “Today, our screens were once again filled with horrifying reports of children killed, burned, and families emerging from bombed tents in Gaza. These should shock the world to its core.”[9]