An Israeli strike killed on Wednesday morning a Palestinian artist and her husband at their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Walaa Jumaa al-Afranji and Ahmed Saeed Salama were pronounced dead after being taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an Israeli attack on a residential building near the Ain Jalut Towers in Nuseirat.
Afranji, who was from Gaza City, had been displaced to the camp after Israel’s war on the enclave began in October 2023.
She was a novelist, artist, and fashion enthusiast.
Before the war, Afranji worked at the well-known “Surprise” gift shop in Gaza City’s bustling Rimal neighborhood.
Afranji also ran her own clothes company called “Fashion Room by Walaa”.
She was a professional calligrapher and artisan, creating handcrafted gifts such as photo frames, key rings, and plant pots.
Her Instagram account, in which she showcased some of her work, had over 95,000 followers.
Afranji frequently shared photos and videos of her wearing traditional embroidered Palestinian outfits, often collaborating with local designers.
In recent months, she used her account to document Israel’s destruction of the Gaza Strip.
“Farewell Walaa, my heart breaks for you,” a Gaza-based social media user wrote on X.
Including Afranji and her husband, at least 13 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the early hours of Christmas morning.
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since last October.
Since then, Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has killed at least 45,338 Palestinians and wounded 107,764 others including women and children.
Following 444 days into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
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