Location Rafah
4-year-old Doa'a from Rafah city in the south of the Gaza Strip was very enthusiastic about attending kindergarten after the summer. She would always carry around her brother's school bag and say good bye to her siblings as if she was actually going to school. She also liked to imitate her siblings. "She spent most of her time with me,” her grandmother said.
On 1 October 2014, there was a violent Israeli shelling. The Al Mahmoum family decided to evacuate their house. Civilian groups were targeted by Israeli shells while they were trying to find shelter within the UNRWA schools. People who managed to reach the school informed the others in the shelter about the killing of the Al Mahmoum family members, including Doa’a.