How Many More? The Story of Aline, One of Gaza’s Thousands of Lost Children

Honouring the life of Aline Al-Mahalawi
March 29, 2022 – July 17, 2025 

Written by Doug Hostetter, PCI International Representative
July 19th , 2025 

I have known Aline’s family for over 15 years, first meeting her uncle, Amjad, when I was the director of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) United Nations Office, and he was on the staff of the Al-Najd Developmental Forun, one of the MCC-supported Palestinian NGOs with headquarters in Gaza City.  Amjad and I have stayed in touch, and I receive texts from Amjad almost every day. 

Aline was born in Gaza City, Gaza on March 29, 2022, to her loving parents, Shadi (35) and his wife Zahra (23), and an older brother, Anas (3).  Aline lived happily in a large house with her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and a few cousins.  Aline was only a year-and-a-half old when her comfortable life was upended by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli invasion, bombing and shelling of Gaza. Gaza City, where Aline lived, was one of the first areas attacked at the beginning of the war. The Israeli’s had ordered all Palestinians in Gaza City to go to the south of Gaza, and many of Aline’s neighbours had headed south, but soon reported that they were being shelled and shot at by Israeli forces as they travelled south, so Aline’s family decided that it was just as safe to stay in the north. Israeli shelling soon hit around Aline’s family home, so they went first to other relatives’ homes, then to a variety of abandoned schools in the area that Palestinian were using as shelter. Aline and her extended family eventually ended up in a third story classroom at the Umar bin Aas School in Gaza City. There were about 55 of Aline’s relatives in those five metres by five metres schoolroom on November 19, when the room was hit at 3:20 PM by an Israeli tank shell, killing her grandfather, her aunt and a great aunt in her family. That was not the only shell to hit the school that afternoon, and more than 25 other people were killed that day in that school. 

In the middle of the shelling, it was decided that Aline’s father, Shadi, as the oldest son in the family, would remain behind to bury his father and other dead relatives, while the rest of the family would flee in the midst of the shelling to try to make their way to the south of Gaza as the Israeli’s had ordered.  The rest of the family, led by Amjad, the second oldest son, travelled by foot taking shelter in any school or mosque that they found along the way. Eventually they made it to Rafah where they bought several tents for the family to live in. Unfortunately, the stress of the trip, and the trauma of the separation from her husband was too much, and in April 2024, Aline’s mother, Zahra, died and was buried in an informal cemetery. A week later, it was noticed that Anas (4) was not in the tent or playing with the neighbouring children. Neighbours were alerted but no one had seen Anas.  The uncles searched widely, and finally discovered Anas a kilometre away, at his mother’s grave, trying to retrieve his mother. 

When Hamas and Israel agreed upon a ceasefire on January 19, 2025, the family waited a few days to make sure that it would be safe, and then on foot, walked back to the family home in Gaza City, where Aline’s father was waiting to welcome the family back. 

For a few months Aline’s father and uncles work to repair their partially destroyed home, but on March 18, the Israeli government broke the ceasefire and reattacked Gaza. Much of Gaza has been declared evacuation zones where Palestinians have been ordered to leave, but the few designated safe areas have seen almost as much military action as the evacuation zones, so Aline’s family has decided to stay in their partially destroyed home in Gaza City. Food, water and healthcare are all in short supply in Gaza, and Aline, like most of her extended family, has been diagnosed as malnourished by the nearby hospital.   

Aline had not been feeling well for almost a week, so when her temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Her father Shadi decided it would be important to take Aline to the nearby hospital. Aline was riding on Shadi’s shoulder when the tank shell hit nearby, sending a piece of shrapnel into Aline’s head. Her father continued running until he reached the hospital, but despite the best efforts of the doctors, Aline became the latest of the estimated 18,000 Palestinian children who have been killed in this war.   

Shadi decided that Aline should be buried with her mother, who loved her so much.  Zahra’s tomb was opened and Shadi placed Aline again in her mother’s arms. 

Rest in peace, little one. 

When will the world rise and stop this senseless genocide? 

Previous Stories by Doug Hostetter