Airwars assessment
In the early afternoon of November 2nd, 2023 an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the Afana family home in the Al Maghazi refugee camp and killed 13 members of the Afana family, including five young children, and injured dozens of other civilians.
The strike killed Dr. Azo Ismail Salim Afana, 69, alongside his wife Sameera Mahmoud Youssef Afana (Geelan) 66. The strike killed four of their children, Mozar Azo Ismail Afana, 30, Dr. Muhammed Azo Ismail Afana, 29, Dr. Maamoun Azo Ismail Afana, 28, Dr. Nidaa Azo Ismail Afana, 35, and Nidaa’s three-year-old daughter Shima Ali Hisham Al Qarinawi.
The bombing killed Israa Alaa Muhammed Al Hajj, 27, and her children Lamia Moayad Azo Afana, six years old, and Muhammed Moayad Azo Afana, two years old. They are survived by their father Dr. Moayad Azo Ismail Afana, a son of Dr. Azo Afana and Sameera Afana, who was also injured in the attack.
Islam Abu Hussein was killed along with their four year old daughter Deneez Mohanad Azo Afana and two-year-old son Ezzedine Mohanad Azo Afana. They are survived by their father Dr. Mohanad Azo Ismail Afana, a son of Dr. Azo Afana and Sameera Afana, who was also injured in the attack.
Four members of the Afana family who were killed by the bombing were medical doctors: Dr. Azo Ismail Salim Afana, Dr. Nidaa Azo Ismail Afana, Dr. Maamoun Azo Ismail Afana, and Dr. Muhammed Azo Ismail Afana. Dua Moor wrote on her Facebook page “The family of doctors are all civilians, today they were all martyred.” Photos posted by relative Adel Rafaat Afana depict the doctors in their medical robes and at their graduations, including a photo of Dr. Maamoun beaming at his desk in a suit as he sits next to a name plate which says “Doctor Maamoun Azo Afana.” A post from Dr. Maher Afana also referred to Dr. Azo and Mozar as “professor”, while Anwar Ghilan referred to Samira as “professor”.
Dr. Nidaa Afana and her daughter Shima Al Qarinawi had lost their husband and father, Dr. Ali Qarinawi, only ten days before the bombing of their family home killed them. Dua Moor, a friend of Nidaa’s, wrote in a Facebook post that she read news of the “Maghazi massacre” and remembered the last phone call from Nidaa she could not pick up due to poor cell connection; an internet outage had also prevented Dua from hearing about the death of Ali more than a week earlier.
Many members of the Afana family mourned the loss of their loved ones. In a video posted by Facebook user Koky Hamza, Mamdouh Afana, “a survivor of the massacre against the Afana family” is shown crying over bodies wrapped in white shrouds saying “You left in pieces my love.” Maha Abu Yousef, the fiancé of Dr. Maamoun Azo Afana, wrote in a Facebook post “I mourn the martyrdom of my fiancé and my second family.” Calling him “the groom of paradise,” she hoped that they could marry in heaven if they could not marry in their lifetimes.
On his Facebook page, Mohannad Azo Ismail Afana, who lost his wife and both of his children, named all 13 fatalities in the family. He wrote “We do not say goodbye, but rather we will meet in the highest paradise.” He posted many family photos, including those of his children Deneez and Ezzedine smiling and playing, as well as one of his mother Sameera smiling in a mosque. Mahmoud Geelan, a nephew of Sameera Afana, posted that his aunt was “a gentle caretaker and compassionate aunt,” and wished to all of his deceased relatives “May you always be in our hearts… may God gather us in the highest paradise.” He posted many photos as well, including photos of his uncle and cousins in academic robes and a family photograph of many members of the Afana family standing together in their formal suits and jackets smiling.
Al Jazeera reported that dozens of civilians were wounded by the bombing. Safa reported the initial death toll was eight civilians, along with a number of injuries. A Facebook post by the nephew of Sameera Afana, Mahmoud Geelan, referred to Mohannad Afana, Moayad Afana, and Maamoun Afana as injured, and prayed that God would heal them. Later social media posts from the Afana family, including from Mohanad himself, indicate that Maamoun Afana died due to his injuries from the bombing but Mohanad and Moayad Afana survived. The names of the reportedly dozens of other civilians injured by the strike were not found online.
Facebook user Eekad show a group of men trying to rescue a person from the rubble, though the identity of the person was not mentioned. Multiple sources such as Facebook users Marwan Zawam and Rafiqi Al Chana report “missing persons” after the strike.
Photos posted by Abu Ahmad show a levelled multistorey building surrounded by rubble and destroyed trees. Additional photos by Facebook user Eekad show the demolished interiors. Columns supporting the floors and structural integrity of the building have clearly been destroyed by the bombing, and the exterior walls are completely gone.
Where possible, Airwars has matched names with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of victims’ names and ID numbers released July 24, 2024.
When sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
The incident occured around midday.
The victims were named as:
Family members (15)
Summary
Sources (27) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (94) [ collapse]
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Dr-Maher Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Anwar Ghilan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Adel Raafat Affana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Fayez.afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Fayez.afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mazan Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abu Ahmad -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Eekadfacts -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Eekadfacts -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Eekadfacts -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Eekadfacts -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Eekadfacts -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Abdulsalam -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Marwan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Flora -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Rafiqi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Gaza -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Kamal Sharaoi -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mahmud geelan -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Source: Mohanad E. Afana -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.