A tragic incident claimed the lives of a mother and her three daughters, who were students at Türkiye’s Maarif Foundation schools in The Gambia, when an Israeli airstrike hit southern Lebanon on September 23, 2024.
The family, identified as Mona Katbay and her daughters, Zeina (9), Zahraa (5), and Banin (4), had traveled to Lebanon to attend a family funeral when they were caught in the strike in the Hanouiyeh region.
Mona’s husband, Muhammad Katbay, remained in The Gambia. Friends of the deceased shared that they had spoken to Mona shortly before the attack, during which she had to end the conversation to comfort her daughters, frightened by the sound of the explosions.
The three sisters were students at the Turkish Maarif Foundation school in The Gambia, which they attended from its inauguration in January 2020. First Lady Emine Erdogan, who was present at the school’s opening, expressed her condolences to the family, condemning the violence and calling for justice against those responsible for the attack.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been intensifying over the past 11 months, with Hezbollah launching rockets and missiles into northern Israel in support of Gaza and Hamas. In response, Israel has carried out airstrikes and targeted killings of Hezbollah leaders, raising concerns about further escalation.
Lebanese authorities reported that over 564 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, with more than 1,800 wounded, adding to the toll on a country still recovering from a recent deadly attack on its communication infrastructure.
