An eight-year-old Palestinian girl, Wafaa Yousef Nabil Akila, and her 36-year-old father, Youssef Nabil Rabah Akila, were killed on Sunday, September 6, after the civilian vehicle they were travelling in was struck in western Gaza City, according to reports.
The attack came on what was supposed to be Wafaa’s first day of school. She was due to turn nine on November 11.
Reports said the vehicle was targeted by an Israeli military reconnaissance aircraft. The Israeli military said the strike was aimed at a Hamas militant.
Wafaa was reportedly killed instantly in the attack, while casualties from the strike were taken to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Footage circulating after the incident showed people gathered around the wreckage of the vehicle in the aftermath of the strike.
The deaths have drawn attention to the risks faced by civilians in Gaza, including children, amid continued Israeli military operations in the territory.
For Wafaa's family, the day that was meant to mark the beginning of her education instead became a day of mourning.