They thought it was safe to walk home. Instead, she was the last child killed before Gaza's truce.

As Ahmed al-Qudra set off to see what — if anything — remained of his family’s home in the village of al-Qarara, he believed the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza had begun.

JERUSALEM — As Ahmed al-Qudra set off to see what — if anything — remained of his family’s home in the village of al-Qarara, he believed the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza had begun.

So at around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, he began walking north through the city of Khan Younis with his seven children, including his oldest son, Adli, 16, and his youngest daughter, Sama, 6.  

It would prove to be a fatal mistake. Unbeknownst to him and his family, the ceasefire — due to start that morning at 8:30 a.m. — had been delayed. Hamas had not provided the names of the first hostages it planned to free that afternoon, so Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered airstrikes to continue.  

Sama al-Qudra was killed by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike. Supplied to NBC NewsAs the al-Qudras approached El Bareer Street, one of Khan Younis' main roads, an Israeli aircraft attacked a passing Palestinian police vehicle. The Israeli military said in a statement at the time that it was hitting “terror targets.”

But the blast also sent shrapnel tearing into the al-Qudra family.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hamas-war-ceasefire-last-child-killed-truce-rcna189384

---