Conflict

Israel and Gaza

Incident Code

ISPT0497

Location

الحي الإماراتي, Emirati neighbourhood, Khan Younis, Palestinian territories

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

Six civilians, including at least one child, were reportedly injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike that hit the Abdul Hadi family home in the Emirati neighbourhood, west of Khan Yunis, at approximately 9:10 AM on Monday, 23rd October 2023.

Quds News Network (@qudsn), along with several other sources on social media, reported that the six injuries arrived at Nasser Hospital for treatment. According to @Alaqsavoice_Brk, the injuries were minor.

The images shared by Twitter/X user @Yemeni_monadel showed a small girl dressed in a red T-shirt lying on a hospital bed with a severe head injury, and her T-shirt was soaked with blood.

Mohammad Abu Rukbeh, a senior Gaza field researcher for Defense for Children International  Palestine (DCIP), was eating breakfast with his family in a nearby house when the strike occurred 15 meters away from his location. He recounted:

I was frightened and found the window glass shattered over my head as if I had opened a water faucet, filled not with water, but with broken glass from the window. I did not know what to do and did not even think to lift my head. I waited for the glass shards to stop falling over my head, still alive. After a few seconds, the glass stopped falling, and I raised my head to check on my wife, children, my brother Sayed, and his family, ensuring they were unharmed by the glass that filled the living room, bedrooms, and every corner of the house. Thank god, nobody was harmed.”

He witnessed ambulances transporting the injured away from the Abdul Hadi family home and described a deep crater in the street outside 15-20 meters deep. Mohammad also reported that the strike caused damage to the local water supply and sewerage system, adding that “since that day, water has not reached our area, and we are now trying to minimize water usage as much as possible.”

While the majority of sources identified the location as the Emirati neighbourhood, DCIP referred to the location as the Baraaq neighborhood.

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

Key Information

Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Strike Status
Likely strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported injured
6
1 Child

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the Emirati neighbourhood (الحي الإماراتي) of Khan Younis (خان يونس), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.360978, 34.295816. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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Military Statements

Israeli Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Israeli Military
Israeli Military position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (5)