‘Killed pursuing her dream’: Gaza girl on her way to school dies in Israeli drone strike
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Maha Hussaini
on
Tue, 06/23/2026 - 09:23
Determined to continue her education despite war and displacement, Raghad Ashour was killed before she could realise her dream of attending university
Raghad Ashour, 17, was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Gaza City on 22 June 2026 (X)
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Just days before her preparatory classes for secondary school exams were due to begin, 17-year-old Raghad Ashour rejected a marriage proposal, determined to complete her education first.
On Monday morning, the Palestinian teenager left her family’s makeshift tent in central Gaza City and set off for a nearby learning centre.
She never arrived.
Just metres from the centre, the teenager was killed in an Israeli drone strike.
At least five others were wounded in the double-tap attack on the Rimal neighbourhood.
“Despite everything she had been through, she was determined to attend her classes,” her great-uncle, Jamil Ashour, told Middle East Eye as he received mourners.
“She found a centre near the camp and went there every morning.
“She studied hard and would arrive early to secure a desk and make sure everything was ready before lessons began. But she never made it to the centre.”
Education disrupted
For the third consecutive year, more than 658,000 school-age children in Gaza have been deprived of face-to-face education, with more than 97 percent of schools damaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks.
The remaining schools are now being used as shelters for tens of thousands of displaced people who have lost their homes in the bombing since October 2023.
In response to recurring disruptions, the Palestinian Ministry of Education introduced limited forms of remote learning, particularly for senior high school students. Lessons, revision materials and guidance were delivered through digital platforms, messaging applications, and recorded or live sessions where possible.
Yet for many students, access to online education remains out of reach. The destruction of much of Gaza’s electricity and telecommunications infrastructure has left homes and displacement camps with little or no power and internet connectivity.
'This is just a child. What does she have to do with all of this?'
- Jamil Ashour, Raghad's great-uncle
With no alternatives, students often rely on cafes and other public spaces using solar panels or fuel-powered generators to download learning materials, charge their phones, or attend online exams.
Many students also enrol in private educational centres where teachers and trainers provide additional lessons to support their online learning.
“Now and then, she would face challenges, whether it was the lack of electricity and the inability to recharge her phone when she returned to the tent, or at times when her phone broke down,” Ashour said.
“But she never allowed these obstacles to stop her,” he added.
“She grew up a single orphan and came to realise that nothing could support her like an education that would secure her a good job.”
At least 19,100 Palestinian school students and 1,379 university students have been killed by Israeli military attacks since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
Another 28,419 school students and 3,017 university students have been wounded.
‘Flower of the house’
Raghad was the only daughter in her family.
Her father was killed in an Israeli attack when she was about three years old, leaving her mother to raise her and her four brothers alone.
“Just yesterday, I visited them in their tent and drank tea she had made with her own hands,” Ashour said. “She told me stories, and we laughed together.
“She was the flower of the house. Her brothers adored her, and her mother always said she was more than a daughter - she was her friend and companion through the darkest days.”
Shortly after Raghad’s death, her mother fainted and was taken to the hospital.
There is no ceasefire in Gaza
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“Her heart simply couldn’t bear it; she fainted despite everyone trying to comfort her,” Ashour said, adding that doctors told him she might need to remain in the hospital until Tuesday.
Raghad is among at least 1,011 Palestinians killed in ongoing Israeli military attacks on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement on 11 October 2025.
More than 3,000 others have been wounded.
“Every time, they kill and wound scores of people, claiming they wanted to target one person,” Ashour continued.
“This is just a child. What does she have to do with all of this? She insisted on continuing her education, despite being deprived of her father, her home, and any chance to live a normal childhood.”
Raghad is originally from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. She and her family were displaced multiple times since 7 October 2023, eventually ending up in a displacement camp in central Gaza City after their home was bombed.
“Since her father was killed, her mother devoted her life entirely to her children. She was proud to have raised her into a young woman who helped her at home and excelled at school,” Ashour said.
When someone proposed marriage, Raghad’s mother was happy that her daughter had reached an age where she could become a bride.
“She was over the moon. She never thought she would manage to raise and educate her until this age. She wanted to see her as a bride,” he continued.
“But Raghad completely refused the idea. She didn’t want to get married, so she called me to come over and convince her mother. She wanted to finish her education and go to university.”
“Our only consolation is that she was killed on her way to pursuing her dream.”
Israel's genocide in Gaza
Gaza City, occupied Palestine
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