Ahmad Ali, 55, a Bangladeshi water delivery driver in Ajman, was killed by falling missile debris on February 28. The death occurred on the first day of Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the UAE, which have left six dead. The bereaved family in Barlekha has halted construction of a long-planned home, facing financial hardship and profound grief. Four Bangladeshi citizens have been killed in Iranian strikes across the Gulf, with additional fatalities in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. “My mother has not stopped crying, she cries every day,” the eldest son, Abdul Hoque, said. A family have been left with shattered dreams and an unfinished house after the father was killed on the first day of Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the UAE.Ahmad Ali, 55, of Barlekha in eastern Bangladesh, died when his delivery van was hit by debris from a missile strike in Ajman on February 28, the first day of the Iranian assault.Mr Ali, a water delivery driver and had worked in the Emirates for 27 years. His son Abdul Hoque told The National from Bangladesh: “My baba [father] said 'bye' to my cousin who stays nearby, saying he would be back soon after delivering water. Not even five minutes after he left, the missile hit near his car and he died right there."Mr Ali is among six killed in the UAE in the past 13 days during which Iran has fired more than 260 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and more than 1,510 drones into the Emirates. Better known as Saleh Ahmed in his hometown, Mr Ali was buried in Bangladesh on March 9. Mr Hoque, 28, the eldest son, says he is unable to console his mother or explain to his younger siblings why his father was killed. “My mother has not stopped crying, she cries every day,” Mr Hoque said. “My father really worked hard. Why did he die? My siblings don’t understand, I don’t understand. What will we do without him? Our dreams are broken.”Grief-strickenA frayed family photograph is among the handful of reminders, showing a proud, smiling father surrounded by four children superimposed on images of a house, a red car and Dubai's Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab landmarks. When Mr Ali went to Bangladesh on holiday last November, he started building a house – his ambition since he moved to the UAE. With the foundations complete, family members in his homeland had been sending him regular updates on how construction was progressing. “It was his dream to build a small house,” Mr Hoque said. “We have just started work. Now we will have nothing. Our mind is sad, sick with grief, sadness. He promised us he would come back soon.” Mr Hoque is the eldest of three brothers, the youngest being 16. They have sister who is a college student. He picks up odd jobs around town and visited the UAE a few years ago when his father tried unsuccessfully to get him a job. “There is not a job my baba has not done – he worked in a restaurant, a car wash, in construction,” Mr Hoque said. “He would always say good things about people, he had a good heart. He taught us to speak well, respect others.”Prayer for victimsSince his father’s death, Mr Hoque has been watching news coverage of the continuing Iranian attacks on the UAE and the wider Gulf region. “I just want to say that the people who died all have families," he said. "There is no one like my baba. I pray that what happened to my father should not happen to anyone.”Mr Ali is among four Bangladesh citizens killed in Iranian strikes on the Gulf, along with two who died in Saudi Arabia and one in Bahrain. A control room has been set up in Dhaka by Bangladesh's Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, with a hotline that workers abroad can call for assistance. Shama Obaed, the incumbent state minister for foreign affairs, said the safety of citizens was the government's top priority.

A migrant worker who was killed in an aerial attack on the United Arab Emirates on the first day of the Iran war would not have been outside if he had known the conflict had started, his son says.Saleh Ahmed, 55, from Bangladesh, was delivering drinking water in the emirate of Ajman when he was struck by debris after an Iranian missile attack. Speaking from Bangladesh, his son Abdul Haque told Sky News that Saleh was a hard-working man and the family's sole breadwinner, who would have not risked his life had he known the US-Israeli war with Iran had started."My father went to deliver water," Abdul said in tears. "That's when an Iranian missile landed on him and his car."Ten minutes later, Saleh died at the scene, his son said.Iran war latest - follow live updates Saleh lived in the UAE as an expat for 25 years, sending under £500 per month in earnings to Bangladesh for his wife and four children.His family says the attack took them all by surprise."No way, he wouldn't have known," Abdul said, when asked if his father was aware of the war."If he knew he wouldn't go out like that. We are hungry people, we have nothing and our family is very big. For sure my father didn't know about the war, or else he wouldn't have gone outside."If I had known, God willing, I would not have let him go outside." 'You don't get friends like my dad'Five years ago, Abdul joined his father in Ajman to work alongside him at the water company."As a child, I'd only spend a month or two here and there with him. But for the last five-and-a-half years, we were more like friends. Eating together and everything, we did it all together like friends," he said."You don't get friends like my dad anywhere in the world."Saleh's life mirrors that of millions of South Asian migrant workers who live and work in the Middle East. Many have roles in construction, hospitality, transport and as domestic help. With roots in the 1960s oil boom, today the migrant workforce is made up of workers from countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and constitutes a large percentage of the overall population. Their remittances support generations of family back home."At the beginning, my father really struggled and did a lot of different work. He worked at hotels, he washed cars, cut grass, he did everything," Abdul said."And for the last seven or eight years, he had a good position at the water company. He did a good job, it was in the service of people, delivering drinking water to people."We never imagined this would suddenly happen."Read more from Sky News:What satellite images reveal about war in IranEyewitness: Panic on the streets of Beirut Body cannot be flown home for burialSaleh's family live in a remote village in Sylhet, in northeastern Bangladesh. With the money he sent to them, they had begun building a house. The site remains incomplete, with a concrete foundation lying bare.Abdul explains how his father did everything he could for the family to have their own home, right up until he died. Saleh was not only supporting his family, but Abdul explains his father would gift meat parcels at Eid to friends and neighbours, give money to charity, and donate funds to the local mosques. He last visited his family four months ago.Airspace closures over the UAE mean Saleh's body cannot be flown home for burial until commercial flights resume. Abdul says the delay in being next to his father and laying him to rest only prolongs the family's sadness. Why did the Iran War start? Bangladesh's foreign ministry confirmed Saleh's death on Monday. It said ensuring the safety and security of more than six million Bangladeshis living in the Middle East remains the government's top priority.Meanwhile, there are no plans to evacuate Bangladeshi migrant workers. The government has urged its citizens in the Middle East to "remain vigilant and strictly follow guidance issued by respective host governments"."I pray for everyone to come quickly to a resolution," Abdul said, speaking about the US, Israel and Iran."I'm seeing videos of many people dying, and I don't want someone else to die like my father died. I don't want any other people to lose their parents like we lost our dad."

Thousands of civilians have been killed across the Middle East since the United States and Israel launched a surprise attack against Iran on Feb. 28. An exact number has been difficult to ascertain due to restricted access to affected areas, but figures compiled from government statements, health ministries, and human rights reports indicated that at least 2,100 civilians have died as a result of the war—the vast majority by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. In Iran, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has documented 1,701 civilian deaths, as part of a broader total of more than 3,400 people killed since the start of the conflict.Across Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said that the death toll from Israeli strikes has risen to 2,496 people since March 2. It did not provide a complete breakdown between civilians and Hezbollah fighters, but said that nearly a quarter of those killed were women, children and medics, underscoring the heavy civilian toll from the fighting.Among the totals across the region are at least 503 women: 251 in Iran, 248 in Lebanon, and four in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, who died from Iranian missile fire, according to rights groups and health authorities.At least 413 children have been killed in the Iran war, including 248 in Iran and 165 in Lebanon, with no confirmed child fatalities reported in other affected countries.Nine journalists have also been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since fighting escalated in early March. Medical workers and aid groups have described overwhelmed hospitals in Beirut and other cities, where mass casualty surges have strained emergency rooms and depleted medical supplies during repeated waves of airstrikes. Iranian missile and drone fire has also killed dozens of civilians across the region. Some 23 people were killed in Israel by Iran and Hezbollah strikes, according to Israel's ambulance service. At least 10 have been killed in the United Arab Emirates, among them several migrant workers. Numerous deaths due to Iranian fire have been reported across other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain. Overall, hostilities have eased after Iran and the United States agreed to a two-week cease-fire on April 8, but the casualty figures continue to rise as authorities and aid groups update their counts across the region.Here is what we know about just a few of the civilians killed during this conflict. Hassan Badawi, 31, a paramedic in southern LebanonHassan Badawi, a Lebanese Red Cross paramedic, was killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday, April 12, in the town of Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon. Badawi, who had been working with the Red Cross since 2012, was reportedly carrying a patient out of an ambulance on a stretcher when an Israeli strike injured him. The father of two later died from his wounds.He was one of 91 health workers killed since the start of Israel's deadly bombardment and invasion of Lebanon.“Hassan carried out his humanitarian duty,” his father, Ali Badawi, told Al Jazeera. “In every war, he used to be among the first to go, but at a cost,” his mother, Ahlam Badawi, added. “This time, God took him from me.”Al Jazeera reported that Badawi called his wife on the eve of his death, telling her that bombing was “everywhere,” but that he could not leave the wounded behind.When asked about Badawi’s death, the Israeli military told reporters that it had targeted “a Hezbollah terrorist who operated adjacent to IDF soldiers in the Bint Jbeil area in southern Lebanon. Reports were received regarding a Red Cross team injured in the strike.”Raha Zerai, 7, a schoolgirl in Minab, IranRaha Zerai was among the 165 people killed when a suspected U.S. air strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, in Iran’s Hormozgan province, in the opening barrage of the war on Feb. 28. She was found in the rubble by her father, Reza Zerai, 47, in the minutes after the attack. “She was silly, full of energy, always laughing, singing, making up little poems,” Bastami, Raha’s aunt, told Foreign Policy. “Together we were always up to mischief. She loved school, and especially her teacher, and she kept telling us she wanted to study to become a dentist.”She had thick curly hair and a contagious laugh, according to relatives interviewed by Foreign Policy. Her room was decorated with Hello Kitty wallpaper and she carried a unicorn-patterned backpack.Several young gymnasts were also among the dead, according to Iran’s Gymnastics Federation and state media, including Reza Habashi, 7, Arina Arab-Kish, Atena Ahmadzadeh, Makan Nasiri, and Araz Ahmadi-Zadeh. According to Human Rights Watch, the school was on the interior border of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Forces compound, but the school is walled off and in a separate compound.Shiva Amelirad, the international representative of the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, told TIME that the school was announced as closed when the war began, “but the time between the announcement of the school’s closure and the moment of the explosion was very short, and many families had not yet arrived to pick up their children.”“The principals and teachers stayed to get the children out. Most of them were killed,” Amelirad said. Saleh Ahmed, 55, a migrant worker in the UAEJust one month into the war, Human Rights Watch warned that migrant workers in Gulf countries face “additional risks” to their lives because of the conflict. Drivers, delivery workers, security guards, chefs, and cleaners have been required to continue working despite not being able to afford basic necessities and amid heightened risks.The majority of civilian deaths across the Gulf during the war have been migrant workers. Among them is Saleh Ahmed, a Bangladeshi national, who was killed in Ajman, UAE, on the first day of war by debris that fell from an intercepted Iranian missile, according to the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry. He was delivering water when he was struck. Ahmed was the sole breadwinner of his household and a hardworking man, his son Abdul Haque told Sky News in early March, just days after his father’s death. He had been living in the UAE for 25 years, sending his earnings home to his wife and four children in Bangladesh every week.“At the beginning, my father really struggled and did a lot of different work…he washed cars, cut grass, he did everything,” he said. “And for the last seven or eight years, he had a good position at the water company. He did a good job; it was in the service of people, delivering drinking water to people.”Ghada Dayekh, 59, a journalist in Tyre, LebanonRadio journalist Ghada Dayekh was killed on April 8 by an Israeli airstrike that hit her apartment building in Tyre, a city in southern Lebanon, completely destroying it. Dayekh worked for the privately owned radio station Sawt al-Farah since it began in the 1980s, the station said in a tribute to her, and she had been on air for 37 years. She hosted a morning show that discussed current events, sports and culture happening in Tyre, where she lived. She had been working from home since the radio station’s headquarters had been destroyed at the beginning of the conflict. Alwan Charafeddine, owner and director of the station, said she was “full of life and loved to joke,” according to local news outlet L’Orient Le Jour.  At least nine journalists have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since fighting escalated in early March. On April 22, Amal Khalil, a reporter with the daily Al-Akhbar newspaper, was killed in an Israeli airstrike after being targeted numerous times over several hours, and despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that a drone strike initially hit a car she was traveling behind with a colleague, forcing them to take cover in a nearby building. Rescue workers tried to reach her for several hours but were fired upon by Israeli forces, the ministry said.  Zeinab Faraj, a photographer who was accompanying Khalil and barely survived the strikes, told the UAE-based The National newspaper that they were stuck for hours in the building, whole severely injured from the first strike: “I saw Amal like that, burning, telling me, 'Zeinab, I’m burning,'" Ms Faraj said. “She told me: ‘Don’t fall asleep, don’t leave me’”. A separate airstrike then hit the building in al-Tiri where she was taking shelter, and her body was found hours later beneath the rubble.Israel denied that it prevented rescue workers from reaching the scene, or that it deliberately targeted civilians, and said the incident was under review. But Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said after Khalil’s death that Israel “aimed at concealing the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon.”Three of the journalists were killed on March 28 when an Israeli airstrike hit a clearly marked press vehicle traveling near the southern town of Jezzine, according to witnesses and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).Those killed included Ali Shoaib, a correspondent for Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV, Fatima Ftouni of Al-Mayadeen TV, and her brother Mohamad Ftouni, a freelance photojournalist. The Israeli military acknowledged carrying out the strike that killed the journalists, claiming that Shoaib and "Mohammad Fatouni" [sic] were members of Hezbollah’s military wing.  "For many years, Shaib [sic] operated to aid Hezbollah in various ways while working as a journalist, and in 2020, he officially joined Hezbollah’s military wing," an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told TIME. "The IDF takes all operationally feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians, including journalists. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists as such," the spokesperson added.  It provided no evidence to support its claims that Shoaib and Ftouni were Hezbollah combatants. Two other journalists were killed earlier in the month, including Mohammad Sherri in a strike in central Beirut on March 18, and Hussain Hamood, who was killed while filming in the southern city of Nabatieh on March 25. Helma Ahmadizadeh, 10, a volleyball player in Lamerd, Iran Helma Ahmadizadeh, 10, was killed in a strike that hit a sports facility in the town of Lamerd while it was being used by a women’s volleyball team, killing at least 21 people.Her death, along with at least four other children killed in the attack, was first reported by Negin Bagheri, an Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist based in Tehran.Bagheri interviewed Helma’s uncle, who said that she survived the initial explosion and walked into the ambulance herself, telling her coach, "It feels like something went into my body." Helma later died in the hospital due to a piece of shrapnel that pierced her heart. She was killed alongside her friend Elaheh, who was in the grade above her, and who also played volleyball.U.S. Central Command released a statement, claiming that Iran may have been responsible for the strike in Lamerd, adding that “U.S. forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime, which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.”However, both the BBC and the New York Times have reported on evidence that the missile used was a Precision Strike Missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. military.Yaakov Briton, 16, Avigail, 15, and Sarah, 13, siblings in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Nine people were killed and 65 were hospitalized when an Iranian missile struck in the city of Beit Shemesh on March 1, destroying a synagogue and several homes. It was the deadliest attack against Israel since the war began. Among the victims were three children from the same family. Yaakov Briton, 16, Avigail, 15, and Sarah, 13, were all killed near the bomb shelter beneath a synagogue they had gone to seek refuge in. It took their mother, Tamar Biton, 24 hours to identify their bodies. She survived along with her husband and one other child,  four-year-old Rachel.  Tamar said Yaakov was a natural-born leader in an interview with the Associated Press. He studied at a Jewish seminary and was known for encouraging his friends to be more observant. Avigail was smart and thoughtful, she told the AP, and Sarah was “always helping around the house.”  Yitzhak Biton, the children’s father, said he hopes to open a Jewish seminary in their honor. “They sanctified God’s name with their life, and also after their death, they continue sanctifying his name,” he told the AP.

DHAKA, Mar 2, 2026 (BSS) - The government today confirmed that two Bangladeshi nationals were killed and seven others injured in separate missile and drone attacks in different parts of the Middle East, expressing deep concern over the escalating situation. Saleh Ahmed of Baralekha, Sylhet, was killed in Ajman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after being struck by debris resulting from an aerial attack on a civilian installation, said a foreign ministry's press release here.  The Bangladesh Embassy in the UAE is in close contact with local authorities and is extending assistance to repatriate the mortal remains once commercial flights resume, it added.

The Bangladeshi expatriate, who killed in a reported missile strike in the United Arab Emirates, has been identified, according to local and international media reports. The deceased, Saleh Ahmed, hailed from Gaziteka area of Barlekha upazila in Moulvibazar. He had been living and working in Ajman province of the UAE. UAE-based newspaper Gulf News reported that three people were killed in an Iranian missile attack in the Emirates, including one Bangladeshi national. The other two victims were identified as a Nepali and a Pakistani citizen. The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday (February 28) in Ajman. According to family sources, Saleh had gone out after iftar to deliver emergency food and beverages along with a colleague when a bright object was seen in the sky, followed by a loud explosion that shook the surrounding area. Witnesses said he was found critically injured at the scene with severe wounds across his body. Civil Defense personnel and police quickly arrived, secured the area and transported him to a hospital by ambulance. His death was confirmed on the morning of March 1. However, there has been no formal statement from UAE authorities confirming the identity of the victims, and the body has not yet been handed over to the family. Saleh Ahmed had been working abroad for many years and was the sole breadwinner of his family. He is survived by his mother, wife, three sons and a daughter. His cousin, Mahbub Alam Chowdhury, said the family was informed of his death Saturday evening but the exact cause remains unclear. The family has called on authorities to expedite the repatriation of the body to Bangladesh. The incident has sparked grief among relatives and the Bangladeshi expatriate community.

Migrant workers have been significantly affected by the attacks and the falling debris from air defense systems. On February 28, an Iranian attack killed a Bangladeshi national, Saleh Ahmed, in Ajman in the UAE. Ahmed was collecting water for delivery in the Al Talla neighborhood when apparent debris from an attack struck his water tank truck, piercing the cab and damaging the rear, hitting Ahmed and two others, a Bangladeshi and a Pakistani person, said Ahmed’s son, Mohammad Abdul Haq. Ahmed died and the others were injured.

HAKA: Saleh Ahmed worked alongside his younger brothers as a water delivery driver in the UAE for three decades, living more than 3,700 kilometers away from his home in northern Bangladesh to support his wife and four children.  The 48-year-old was killed on the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran while working in the city of Ajman, struck by debris that fell from an intercepted Iranian missile, according to a statement by the Bangladeshi foreign ministry.  Ahmed was killed 1.5 km away from his UAE apartment on Feb. 28, his younger brother Zakir Hossain said.  “My brother had just got out of the car and was about to start the water pump just behind his parked vehicle (when he was struck),” he told Arab News on Saturday.  Tehran has responded to the joint Israeli-US aggression by launching missile and drone attacks on neighboring countries in the Gulf. The air defense systems of several Gulf countries have intercepted missiles and drones in the skies above major cities.  When Ahmed last spoke with his wife, Minu Begum, on the phone they were discussing plans for his homecoming early next year. But those plans were shattered less than a day later, when the family received news of his death.  “The last time we spoke, it was a regular conversation. He told me to buy new Eid clothes for the children, and he already sent money for this,” Begum said.  Two of their children are still pursuing their studies and another suffers from the blood disorder thalassemia, which requires at least one transfusion a month.  “My husband was the sole breadwinner for our family. This devastating war has taken away everything from my life,” she said. “For my children, this Eid is going to be the worst of their lifetime. I have not seen any smiles on their faces for the last two weeks. We don’t know what is in store in our future … Everything is lost.”  Ahmed was one of more than 6 million Bangladeshis working in the six Gulf Cooperation Countries, part of a group of about 35 million foreign nationals that has formed the backbone of the region’s economy and is paying a high price amid the escalating conflict. At least 16 civilians have been killed by Iranian attacks across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, most of whom were foreign nationals.  According to statements from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least four of those killed in the past two weeks were Bangladeshis.  In a statement issued on March 9, Bangladesh condemned “all such attacks that result in the loss of innocent lives” and called on all parties concerned to exercise “maximum restraint,” adding that the government “accords high priority to the safety and welfare of Bangladeshi nationals in the Middle East and is closely monitoring the evolving situation.” Many migrant workers in the Middle East hold essential jobs as sanitation workers and delivery drivers, roles that require them to continue working even as other wealthier residents can take shelter.  In the Gulf, migrant communities not only number in the millions, they also make up the majority of the region’s population. Around one third of the Saudi population are foreign residents, while the proportion is an estimated 80 to 90 percent in the UAE and Qatar.  As the Middle East war escalates, Bangladeshis working in the region see no choice but to stay.  “Every now and then, we experience heavy bombing (and) many people are forced to relocate,” Milon Khan, who is working in northern Lebanon, which has been a target of Israeli bombing, told Arab News. “(But) our family members are dependent on our income. That’s why our migrants don’t want to return home. Until the last moments, even with the utmost sacrifice, even amid ongoing war, our migrants are trying to survive here. We are all praying for the war to stop as soon as possible.”  -ENDS-

A Bangladeshi national, Saleh Ahmed, was killed in a drone attack by Iran in the United Arab Emirates. Saleh worked as a delivery man in the Ajman region of the UAE and was a resident of Borolekha Upazila in Moulvibazar. The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident. Eyewitnesses reported that Saleh Ahmed had gone out after Iftar to deliver essential food and beverages, accompanied by a colleague. Suddenly, a bright object appeared in the sky, followed by an explosion. Saleh was found seriously injured on the ground and was taken to the hospital by civil defense and police. His death was unofficially confirmed on Sunday morning. The UAE Ministry of Defense said 165 ballistic missiles were detected from Iran, of which 152 were destroyed and two cruise missiles were intercepted. At least three people have been killed in the attacks, including one Bangladeshi, one Pakistani, and one Nepali. At least 58 others were injured.

A Bangladeshi national has been killed in the United Arab Emirates following an attack attributed to Iran, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense. The authorities have not immediately disclosed the identity of the victim. Multiple sources identified the deceased as Saleh Ahmed, a resident of Gaziteka, Borolekha Upazila, Moulvibazar District. He worked in the Ajman province of the UAE as a delivery worker. According to eyewitnesses, Saleh Ahmed had gone out for urgent delivery work after Iftar on Saturday evening when a sudden, bright object appeared in the sky, followed by a massive explosion. He was found critically injured at the scene with severe trauma to multiple parts of his body. Civil defense and police units quickly arrived, secured the area, and transported him to a hospital. His death was informally confirmed on Sunday morning, although the UAE government has not yet made an official announcement. Saleh Ahmed had been working abroad for many years to support his family, which includes his mother, wife, three sons, and a daughter. He was the sole breadwinner. His cousin, Mahbub Alam Chowdhury, stated that Saleh Ahmed died on Saturday evening but the exact circumstances of his death remain unclear. He urged authorities to ensure the prompt

Identity of Bangladeshi Killed in UAE Attack Confirmed | Bangladesh Guardian News

In the United Arab Emirates, Saleh Ahmed from Baralekha in Sylhet was killed in Ajman after being struck by debris from an aerial attack on a civilian installation. The Bangladesh Embassy in the UAE is in close contact with local authorities and is extending assistance to repatriate the body once commercial flights resume, the ministry said.