Israel kills eight-year-old girl in Gaza on first day of school

Israeli military killed an eight-year-old Palestinian girl and her father in a strike on their car in western Gaza City on Sunday, which was supposed to be her first day of school.

Wafaa Yousef Nabil Akila and her 36-year-old father, Youssef Nabil Rabah Akila, were martyred after the vehicle they were travelling in was hit on September 6, according to reports.

Wafaa was to celebrate her ninth birthday on November 11. Reports said that an Israeli military reconnaissance aircraft targeted the vehicle.

Wafaa was reportedly killed at the scene. Other people injured in the attack were taken to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Video circulated after the strike showed people surrounding the damaged vehicle as they gathered at the scene. The attack came as Israel's genoide of Palestinians continues in Gaza, where civilians, including children, are being targed by Israeli forces.

For Wafaa’s family, a day that was supposed to mark the beginning of her school life instead ended with the loss of the young girl and her father.