SIX OBITUARIES FROM THREE WEEKS OF WAR

By Jake

19 March 2026

Mourners accompany the body of Muhammad Bani Odeh, 5, at the funeral for four members of the Odeh family who were killed by Israeli security forces in Tammun, West Bank. (Associated Press)

The war we feared has come, and despite promises of a short operation, the conflict’s scale only grows. The global energy economy will feel the impact of burning oil fields and blocked trade routes for years, but too much of the media coverage, especially in America, has been about fuel. We at ONE need to highlight the innocents that die when powerful men make casual decisions. All the cases below are shattered families, robbed futures, seats at the table that will never be filled again.

In Lebanon, Father Pierre al-Rahi, a Maronite priest, died on March 9th after an Israeli strike in Qlayaa. The strike was a double-tap, and Father al-Rahi received major shrapnel wounds when tending to those injured by the first strike. A local celebrity, the priest had stated the day before: ““We are obliged to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully. None of us carry weapons. We all bring peace, kindness, and love. All the churches are gathered, all the religions together, it can only be for peace.”

On the first day of the war, February 28th, an Iranian school was struck three times, killing 110 children, 26 teachers, and four parents. The local authorities released a collage of the names and faces, and international organizations have worked to corroborate the figures. There were terrifying moments where parents were working to dig out wounded children before another missile struck the same site, killing the rescuers. All evidence points to US forces being responsible.

On March 12th, the Virginia-based instructor Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah was killed by a lone gunman at Old Dominion University in the US. The gunman has previous arrests for ISIS support but was still able to obtain a weapon to “avenge” the war. Shah was a highly decorated aviator who flew AH-64 Apache helicopters during multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe. His wife and son are robbed.

On March 16th, Alaa Nader Awni was killed in Abu Dhabi when an Iranian missile struck near her car. A Palestinian national, Alaa was a trainer in a local food factory who had been interviewed by local news a few months before. Two years ago, Alaa’s sister and nieces were killed in Gaza, according to Alaa’s colleagues. A coworker told the news that she immediately opened her chat box and started listening to Alaa’s old voice notes: “I just wanted to hear her voice again, I couldn’t believe I won’t be able to see her or hear her again.”

A March 1st Iranian strike into Israeli neighborhood Beit Shemesh took the lives of nine, including mother and daughter Ronit and Sara Elimelech. Ronit had three children, two harmed by the bombing and one unhurt. Her son asked her to become a healthcare volunteer years ago, and Ronit leaped on the opportunity, still aiding people through 2026. She was found with her medical kit and vest. 

On March 15th, Israeli forces opened fire into a car in the West Bank, killing Ali and Waed Odeh and two of their four children. The Odehs’ two surviving children had shrapnel wounds. Israel’s military and police said in a joint statement that forces opened fire after a car accelerated toward them in Tammun. They said that the forces were pursuing suspects accused of “terrorist activity” and that the shooting was under investigation. The war with Iran has greatly restricted travel in the West Bank.

If you are religious, I ask you to join me in praying for all innocents impacted by the war. I include examples from all over the region not as whataboutism, but to emphasize that war starts a ripple effect that cannot be controlled easily. Our leaders seem to believe that killing another leader will be the end of the story, but history goes on. And through history, innocents suffer and die through no fault of their own. We remember them.

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