Gazan Family Injured in June 2024 Nuseirat Operation That Freed Four Israeli Captives
A Gaza family of seven was injured when a shell hit their rented apartment during an Israeli military operation on June 8, 2024. Two years later, shrapnel remains lodged in several members and recurring nightmares persist.
Al JazeeraA shell struck the family's rented apartment in Nuseirat refugee camp on the morning of June 8, 2024, injuring all seven household members. The attack occurred during an Israeli military operation that involved tanks, helicopters, and quadcopters advancing toward Salah al-Din Street.
Lina Ghassan Abu Zayed, the author of the account published by Al Jazeera on June 9, 2026, described the moment the shell hit.
She was in the corridor when the explosion occurred and saw a drone hovering above the building afterward. Her sister Eman crawled toward her covered in blood. Her sister Yasmin had three pieces of shrapnel in her chest.
Their mother suffered a facial wound in which part of her cheek was torn away. Their father was struck by shrapnel in both legs while shielding their nine-year-old brother Abdullah. Their bedridden grandmother was also hit by shrapnel.
The family waited by the entrance of the damaged building for over three hours before an ambulance arrived. The ambulance transported them through rubble-covered streets to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where they remained for five days. Two rooms of the apartment were completely destroyed.
The family had returned to Nuseirat in May 2024 after seven months of displacement. Their original home had been made uninhabitable by an earlier attack in January 2024. ” Health authorities stated that the June 8, 2024 operation killed at least 274 people and injured nearly 700 others.
Armed individuals in civilian clothing entered the area in aid trucks, and others posed as vendors during the operation, Al Jazeera reported. As of June 2026, Eman still has a shrapnel fragment lodged in her hand near a sensitive nerve that cannot be removed. Yasmin still carries shrapnel in her chest.
Their mother’s facial wound remains clearly visible. Their grandmother continues to live with shrapnel injuries across her back and ongoing pain. Lina Ghassan Abu Zayed experiences recurring nightmares of shelling, tanks, loud sounds, and seas of blood.
She stated that no one has been held accountable and no real investigation has been opened into the operation. After discharge from the hospital, the family returned to the damaged apartment because they had no other shelter before eventually moving into a tent. They became afraid of windows and any place exposed to the outside.
Al Jazeera reported that the operation was described in some media as a “successful rescue operation” that freed four captives. The author noted that the destruction and lives shattered received less attention than the rescue outcome.
