Yousef Salman Qaddoum

August 05, 2022: Yousef Salman Mohammad Qaddoum, 24, was killed by a missile dropped on his home by the Israeli military. He was one of eleven Palestinians killed in a barrage of Israeli missiles fired into Gaza in the middle of the afternoon on August 5th.

Dozens of airstrikes were carried out by Israeli forces in the span of a few minutes in different parts of the Gaza Strip. In addition to the 11 killed, at least 55 Palestinians were wounded and taken to local hospitals for treatment of moderate to severe wounds.

The airstrikes were apparently attempting to target certain Palestinian resistance leaders – but most of those killed in the airstrikes were civilians.

Emad was killed when the army fired many missiles into the Sheja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza, killing three Palestinians, including two civilians, Yousef Salman Mohammad Qaddoum, 24, Ala’ Abdullah Riyad Qaddoum, 5, and Emad Abdul-Rahim Ibrahim Shallah, 52.

The 5-year old girl was playing in front of her family’s home in the Rimal neighborhood in the center of Gaza city when the army fired missiles targeting The Borj Falasteen (Palestine Tower) building.

Her grandfather, Riyad Qaddoum, said Ala’ was just about to start kindergarten, happy with her new clothes, school bag, and supplies.

“Why, why did they have to kill her? Why did they have to bomb a civilian area and kill this innocent child?,” he asked, “Where is the world from all of this? Where are those who talk about human rights and protection for the civilian population…”

That airstrike that killed Ala’ came just after the Israeli airforce fired a missile into the fifth and sixth floors of Burj Falasteen (Palestine Tower) in the center of Gaza City in an assassination of a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad, Taiseer Mohammad al-Ja’bari, 52. In addition to al-Jabari, several civilians in the apartment building were killed in the airstrike.

The Palestine Tower consists of thirteen floors and contains many government offices and media centers. The bombing also caused damage to many surrounding buildings, stores, and commercial facilities.

The Israeli missiles also killed Ahmad Mazen Mahmoud Azzam, 25, in the Zeitoun neighborhood, one of the largest and most densely populated areas in Gaza city.

At approximately 16:20, the Israeli army fired an artillery shell that struck the home of Adnan Atiya al-Amour, killing his daughter Diana Mohammad al-Amour, 22.

The Israeli missiles also killed Mohammad Ahmad Nasrallah, 25, and injured his daughter in addition to two other Palestinians east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

At approximately 16:25, an Israeli drone fired missiles into an area west of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing Fadel Mohammad Zo’rob, 30, and Mohammad Hasan al-Bayok, 35, in addition to wounding seven other Palestinians, including two children. The attacks also caused damage to a Palestinian ambulance.

At approximately 16:50, two Palestinians, including one child, were injured after the Israeli army bombed the al-Brazil neighborhood, south of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The army also carried out at least ten airstrikes targeting resistance centers and many residential neighborhoods in Rafah, causing excessive damage.

On Saturday, the Israeli army continued its offensive on the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, for the second day, by firing more missiles and shells into several areas of the coastal region, killing one Palestinian and wounding many others, including three who suffered serious wounds.

The slain Palestinian has been identified as Tamim Ghassan Hijazi, 24, from the az-Zanna area in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Media sources said the army fired missiles into several buildings in Gaza city, Khan Younis, in the southern part of the coastal region, and many areas in the central and northern parts of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians Center For Human Rights (PCHR) said its field researchers and teams are still documenting and validating the latest incidents and casualties, adding that the Israeli offensive could take a long time, as stated by Israeli military leaders and government officials.

The PCHR condemned the Israeli offensive, the extrajudicial assassinations, and the constant targeting of Palestinian civilians in violation of International Humanitarian Law and all related international treaties.

The slain Palestinians are:

  1. Emad Abdul-Rahim Shallah, 52.
  2. Yousef Salman Qaddoum, 24.
  3. Ala’ Abdullah Qaddoum, 5.
  4. Taiseer Mahmoud al-Ja’bari, 50.
  5. Samala Mohareb ‘Aabed, 41.
  6. Diana Adnan Atiya al-Amour, 22.
  7. Mohammad Ahmad Abdul-Fattah al-Madhoun, 26.
  8. Fadel Mustafa Zo’rob, 30.
  9. Mohammad Hasan al-Bayok, 35.
  10. Mohammad Ahmad Nasrallah (al-Madhoun), 26.
  11. Tamim Ghassan Hijazi, 24

The offensive on Gaza started when the army assassinated Taiseer al-Ja’bari, the leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, after firing missiles at his office in Gaza city.

The army also carried out several airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting many areas in Gaza city, especially the Sheikh Ejleen area that was hit with at least fifteen Israeli missiles, in addition to Khan Younis and Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and several areas in northern Gaza.

The offensive is still ongoing; some of the slain Palestinians are members of armed resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian factions in Gaza vowed retaliation and fired dozens of shells into many areas in the southern part of the country.

According to Israeli sources, rocket sirens sounded in most southern and central areas, including Tel Aviv.

Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, said that he approved the deployment of 25.000 reservists according to what he called “operation needs,” an issue that indicates an upcoming larger offensive on the Gaza Strip.

A senior military official claimed the strikes on Gaza “targeted Islamic jihad fighters,” and alleged that the group is preparing for an attack against Israel.”

Yousef was from Gaza City. Source: IMEMC