Around 5 AM on Friday, October 20, 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit a home belonging to the journalist Rami Khreis located in the al-Amal neighborhood, west of the town of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing his seven-year old son Abdul Rahman Rami Mahmoud Khreis, and injuring 12 family members, including his Rami’s wife. 

Most local sources named Abdul Rahman as the only deceased victim, but Alsharq News Palestine reported about “two martyrs” from the strike. A journalist Adel Zaroub mentioned a “female martyr” in the Khreis family home, so the maximum death toll may reach two civilians.

Most sources reported that “injuries” occurred as a result of the strike. A Facebook user Alaa Jamal said that his uncle’s home was hit in the strike and that “all of them [were] injured.” The Awda Alfada’iyye Channel offered a precise figure of 12 injured family members, noting that they were brought to Al-Nasser hospital. The Palestinian Information Center identified Rami Khreis’ wife as among those injured.

Friends and loved ones offered condolences to the family of the killed boy. Abdul’s uncle Atef Al-Namrouti posted a photo of a small child making the peace sign with a pet bird perched on his shoulder. “My nephew, Abd al-Rahman Rami Khreis,” said Al-Namrouti. “A martyr and a bird of paradise with God’s praise.”

A Facebook user named Diaa Momar, who appears to live near the family, lamented the death of “the good and decent neighbor’s son,” sharing a picture of the slain child. She also posted photos of what appear to be a little girls room with a window blown out, possibly the damage to her own home from the nearby bombing.

Several other sources posted similar graphic pictures of the dead boy, wearing a yellow t-shirt in a body bag and his corpse being carried on a stretcher in others.

Abdul Rahman’s name has been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.