Israel-Palestine war: Beirut, a child named after a devastated city, killed in Israeli strike
Beirut Abu Shamala was born on 4 August 2020 in Gaza, hundreds of kilometres away from the Lebanese capital where, that same day, an explosion tore through the city, causing vast destruction in the heart of Beirut.
The baby's parents decided to name her Beirut in honour of the city, its people and the 200 residents who were killed by the blast at the capital's port.
In a cruel twist of fate, Beirut herself would be killed three years later in an explosion, when an Israeli missile struck her home in Khan Younis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, which had been designated as "safe" by Israel.
The Israeli military has for weeks warned people in northern Gaza to move south or risk being bombed. However, no corner of the besieged enclave has been safe for its 1.2 million residents, and Beirut is among the 3,900 children who have been killed since 7 October.
At least 9,488 people have been killed since Israel launched its most aggressive bombing campaign on Gaza after Hamas conducted an unprecedented attack on Israeli towns. More than 1,300 Israelis were killed and at least 200 people were taken captive.
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The news of Beirut's death and her story quickly spread around the Arab world, especially in Lebanon. Scores of people took to social media to express their sorrow and mourn the child who was named after a devastated city only to die amid the devastation of her home.
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In Gaza, "one child is killed every 10 minutes", Jason Lee, Save the Children's director for the Palestinian territories, told The Washington Post. Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 children are still trapped under the rubble, he said.
Civil defence crews in Gaza have told Middle East Eye that the destruction has been so widespread and the bombing so constant that they are forced to leave dead bodies under the rubble and pour their efforts into pulling out people who are still alive.
The civil defence estimates that hundreds of people are lying dead under collapsed buildings.
Beirut was given number 251 when the Palestinian health ministry released the names of those who were killed between 7 and 26 October. Some people wrote on social media that Beirut and all the other children who have been killed "should not remain numbers", and that their stories should be told and remembered forever.
"Between August and October, and Beirut and Gaza - a continuous stream of martyrs. Wounds heal, but others will soon open," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "You collect body parts, yet soon you will be burdened with others. A pain that reminds us of another. From Gaza, Beirut is here. Beirut Abu Shamala, the child of the city, didn't just carry the name of your city the day of its catastrophe, she also departed in an explosion to console you."
Last week, Unicef called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for unrestricted humanitarian access to allow aid to reach children and families in need, save lives and prevent further suffering.
"Thousands of children have reportedly been killed and thousands more injured. Children and families in Gaza have been cut off from water, food, medicine, and other essentials, including safe access to hospitals, following escalating hostilities," Unicef said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The cost to children and their communities of the escalating violence will be borne out for generations to come."
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