Khaled Nabhan
, by Khalid Abougazar, 1 min reading time
In the narrow alleys of Gaza, where the scent of the sea mingles with the echoes of history, lived Khaled Nabhan—a man in his sixties with a white beard and a warm smile. Known to his neighbors as “Abu Diaa,” his name would later be remembered with a simple, heart-wrenching phrase: “Rouh al-Rouh”—“soul of my soul.”
In November 2023, an image of Khaled shook the world. He was seen cradling the body of his three-year-old granddaughter, Reem, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. As he gently kissed her cold forehead, he whispered those unforgettable words: “Rouh al-Rouh,” expressing a sorrow too deep for words.
But Khaled was not only a loving grandfather—he became a symbol of tenderness and sacrifice. After Reem’s death, he was often seen handing out winter clothes to children and feeding stray cats in the streets of Gaza, trying to fill the void his granddaughter had left behind with acts of compassion.
On December 16, 2024, while helping the wounded in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, Khaled was killed in another Israeli strike. He joined his beloved Reem, who had never left his thoughts for a single moment. News of his martyrdom triggered a wave of grief across social media, where many mourned the loss of “the grandfather of Rouh al-Rouh.”
Khaled Nabhan’s story is not just about a grandfather and his granddaughter—it is a living testimony to the suffering of the Palestinian people, and a powerful symbol of enduring pain and compassion under occupation.
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