Hala didn't know that danger was coming when she took her children to the beach. Her nine-year-old daughter Layan had asked to play on the sand and cool off in the waves.
As the family sped there in a tuk-tuk, they passed by a military camp run by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). At that exact moment, it was targeted by Israeli fire.
A shell fragment pierced Layan's neck, and she slumped, bleeding, onto the floor. A week of treatment in an Israeli hospital couldn't save her life.
"I'm desperate," Hala told me. "I'm supposed to be strong because I'm the mum of a martyr, but the wars I've seen have hugely impacted me and my family. All this made me hate living in Gaza."
As we spoke, she held a small cuddly toy close. It had been a special present, given to her daughter for performing in a Palestinian dabke dance show.
I asked her if she thought Layan's death would make a difference. "No, I don't think so, because many were killed before her and there's been no change," she replied. "This has never influenced decision-makers here. As if it's become normal."
After an escalation, death is all around in Gaza. This time, the ministry of health there says 35 civilians were killed.
Israel's Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, said it took special precautions to protect civilians. "The State of Israel will not apologise for using force to protect its citizens," he said, "but the death of innocent civilians, especially children, is heart-breaking."
The Israel Defense Forces said it was "devastated by [Layan's] death and that of any civilian".
I followed Layan's funeral procession from the mosque to the cemetery.
Crowds ran, waving militant flags to the sound of gunfire. As her body was lowered into the ground, men surrounded the grave, scaping the sand and dirt over it with their hands and placing a rough headstone.
After an escalation, death is all around in Gaza. This time, the ministry of health there says 35 civilians were killed.
Israel's Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, said it took special precautions to protect civilians. "The State of Israel will not apologise for using force to protect its citizens," he said, "but the death of innocent civilians, especially children, is heart-breaking."
The Israel Defense Forces said it was "devastated by [Layan's] death and that of any civilian".
I followed Layan's funeral procession from the mosque to the cemetery.
Crowds ran, waving militant flags to the sound of gunfire. As her body was lowered into the ground, men surrounded the grave, scaping the sand and dirt over it with their hands and placing a rough headstone.