On November 2nd 2023 at least 81 civilians, but as many as 90, from five families were reportedly killed and a large number of others wounded when an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the homes of the Abu Samaan, Al-Awadi, Al-Borai, Al-Qishawi, and Barakat families near the Al-Shamaa Mosque in the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, south of Gaza City.

A Facebook post from Eslam Abd Al-Ghaffar reporting on the incident mentioned that at the time, there were “a large number of martyrs, wounded, and trapped” as a result of a strike on the houses belonging to the “Al-Qishawi”, “Al-Awadi”, “Abu Samaan” and “Al-Borai” families. At least 24 members of the Al-Borai family were reportedly killed in the attack, alongside between 36 and 50 members of the Al-Awadi family, at least six members of the Al-Qishawi family, two members of the Abu Samaan family, and eight members of the Barakat family. Between 18 and 32 children were killed in the attack, and 19 women, four of whom were pregnant at the time, were among those that were killed in this attack.

In total, multiple sources reported that at least 24 members of the Al-Borai family were killed in the airstrike which, as seen in images and videos shared to social media, caused huge destruction to their home.

56-year-old Hajj Tayseer Fayez al-Borai (Abu Abdul Rahman) and his wife Samira Dababesh al-Borai (Umm Abdul Rahman) were reportedly killed with their daughters, Asma Tayseer al-Borai, 34-year-old Basma Tayseer al-Borai, and 15-year-old Shahad Tayseer al-Borai.

Posts from Abu Al-Hassan Shaniora and Hassan Raslan refer to Tayseer as a “mujahid,” which is a word often (though not exclusively) used to refer to membership of a militant group.

In another post to Facebook on July 15th, 2024, Tayseer’s nephew Hassan Raglan remembered his uncle as “the wounded, martyred, captive leader.” On July 2nd, 2021, Heba al-Borai posted to Facebook thanking her father, “her first teacher” who she describes as “the great commander.” Tayseer’s militant status has been recorded as “contested”, given references to Tayseer that may indicate membership of a militant group – though there remains some ambiguity in his profession and formal activities. This means his death is included in only the upper count of the civilians killed, and that the number of militants recorded as killed in this incident is a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 1. Airwars will update this status should additional information come to light.

Basma’s husband Rami Dababesh and their son 12-year-old Saif al-Din Rami Dababesh and daughter Sara Rami Dababesh were also reportedly killed by the airstrike. Basma’s sons Riyad and Mohammad (surname not provided by sources) were killed as well. A Facebook post from Somaya al-Borai, a surviving daughter of Tayseer and Samira, reported that her sister Basma was six months pregnant at the time of her death.

Wafa Shaldan, wife of Tayseer and Samira’s son Abdul Rahman Tayseer al-Borai (killed in a different incident on April 1, 2024), was reportedly killed with their daughter Sila Abdul Rahman Tayseer al-Borai. According to a Facebook post from Somaya, her sister-in-law, Wafa, was nine months pregnant when she was killed.

A Facebook post from Muhammad Youssef al-Borai also reported that Samira Dababesh al-Borai’s one week old granddaughter was also killed in the attack – it is unclear if she is one of the children already named by other sources.

Omar al-Borai posted a condolence message for their “dear cousin, great character” Tayseer and his wife.

Rawiya Atallah al-Borai (Umm Fayez), wife of Fouad Fayez al-Borai, was killed along with their five children (this family connection has been inferred based on names) 34-year-old Fayez Fouad al-Borai, Abdullah Fouad al-Borai, Hamza Fouad al-Borai, Bilal Fouad al-Borai, and 32-year-old Reem Fouad al-Borai (Haboush). Reem’s husband 35-year-old Muhammad Nahd Hassan Haboush and their four children whose names were not found among sources were killed. Based on their father’s name, a familial match to names first listed on the third list released by the Gaza Ministry of Health was made for four children that are likely Muhammad and Reem’s children: four-year-old Zain Muhammad Nahd Haboush, two-year-old Yahya Muhammad Nahd Haboush, eight-year-old Malak Muhammad Nahd Haboush, and 10-year-old Malik Muhammad Nahd Haboush.

Airwars’ researchers found the names of 37 members of the Al-Awadi family but according to a post from Sabrin Basal, “49 martyrs, from the oldest to the youngest” from Laila al-Awadi’s family resulted from the strike on their home in Al-Zaytoun.

From the al-Awadi family, 71-year-old Laila Ala Muhammad al-Awadi was reportedly killed with her sons, Issam Badr al-Awadi, 39-year-old Mamdouh Badr al-Awadi, and 34-year-old Medhat Badr al-Awadi, and her daughter Mandy Badr al-Awadi. A Facebook post from Sobhi Hana, a son-in-law of Laila married to her surviving daughter, included images of Laila celebrating a birthday, sitting in a garden, and holding a baby, possibly one of her grandchildren.

Issam’s wife, 42-year-old Nawal Saeed Shabaan al-Awadi was killed in the attack as well as four of their daughters, Laila Issam al-Awadi, 16-year-old Marah Issam al-Awadi, Malak Issam al-Awadi and 12-year-old Hanan Issam al-Awadi, and two of their sons, Muhammad Issam al-Awadi and Ahmed Issam al-Awadi.

Mamdouh’s wife, Mona al-Awadi (Naeem) was also killed with four of their children, three sons, Hossam Mamdouh al-Awadi, Badr Mamdouh al-Awadi and Khaled Mamdouh al-Awadi and their daughter Samah Mamdouh al-Awadi.

Medhat’s wife, Mahbouba al-Awadi (Qazat) died alongside their two sons five-year-old Osama Medhat al-Awadi and three-year-old Abdul Rahman Medhat al-Awadi. Mahbouba was 9-months pregnant with a girl at the time of her death, according to her brother-in-law Sobhi Hana.

Another Facebook post from Hasan Alwadi reported that “all grandchildren of the late Badr al-Awadhi” were killed in the attack – as Badr was the father of Issam, Mamdouh, Mandy and Medhat, this indicates that all of their children were killed in this strike.

64-year-old Saeed Shabaan al-Awadi and his wife 61-year-old Hanan Noman Najeeb al-Awadi (Umm Shaaban) were reportedly killed with their daughters, 36-year-old Nihal Saeed al-Awadi (Al-Jarousha) and Nawal Saeed al-Awadi (initially mentioned above) and sons Shaaban Saeed al-Awadi and Noman Saeed al-Awadi. Shaaban’s wife, Mandy Badr al-Awadi (initially mentioned above) was also killed alongside their two sons, Saeed Shaaban al-Awadi and 10-year-old Yazan Shaaban al-Awadi and their daughter 13-year-old Hanan Shaaban al-Awadi. Noman’s wife, 31-year-old Alaa al-Awadi (Al-Aji) and their three daughters Maryam Noman al-Awadi, 4-year-old Hanan Noman al-Awadi and Alaa Noman al-Awadi were also reportedly killed in the attack. A post from Hassan al-Awadi indicated that the home which was struck belonged to the elder Saeed al-Awadi.

Nihal Saeed al-Awadi was reportedly killed along with five of her children, as reported in a post by Sobhi Hana. Umm Ahmed Shurab named Nihal’s children as 15-year-old Karim al-Jarousha, 13-year-old Khaled al-Jarousha, 11-year-old Nour al-Jarousha, 5-year-old Najib al-Jarousha and 5-year-old Saeed al-Jarousha.

Umm Ahmed Shurab, daughter of Saeed and Hanan and sibling of Nihal, Nawal, Shaaban, and Noman, posted a condolence message to the many members of her family that she lost: “Oh God, the pain is too much for you, my beloved ones. How could you leave me alone? I wish you would come back and tell me that you don’t leave my place, I want you to live with me.” To her mother, Umm Ahmed wrote “I miss you hugging me and being affectionate with me. I wish you would keep calling me like in the past.” To her father, she wrote “Who will make us happy, Dad?” To her sisters, she wrote “How can I get pregnant without my sisters, who were more affectionate than me?” To her brothers, “Well, Noaman and Shaaban would always come and joke with me and hit me on the shoulder, telling me: Are you afraid?” Since her loss, “Ramadan and Eid have come, and I am alone and we are in the tents. I wish to talk to you and tell you that every year you are with me and beside me. I wish I could come to you and photograph you. I wish you would open up to me.” Umm Ahmed Shurab also included multiple images, likely of her siblings and their family. Images of many young children and women were included, as well as of Saeed and Hanan surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

A third family to reportedly suffer casualties was the Barakat family, which lost eight members of their family while sheltering with the al-Awadi family at the time of the strike.

56-year-old Bashir Hamdi Ismail Barakat (Abu Hamdi) and his wife Umm Hamdi were reportedly killed in the attack – Umm Hamdi was the aunt of Essam, Mamdouh, Medhat, and Mandy. Five of Abu Hamdi and Umm Hamdi’s children were killed alongside them, their son 27-year-old Montaser Bashir Hamdi Barakat and four of their daughters, 29-year-old Aya Bashir Hamdi Barakat, 24-year-old Shaima Bashir Hamdi Barakat, 21-year-old Fidaa Bashir Hamdi Barakat and 10-year-old Raghad Bashir Hamdi Barakat. Fidaa was reportedly nine-months pregnant at the time of the attack and her son 1-year-old Ahmed Daloul was also killed.

The Al-Qishawi family also reportedly lost six members. Nawal Al-Qishawi was named as killed, alongside his wife and their children and grandchildren. As the exact number of the Al-Qishawi children and grandchildren is unknown, a death toll of 4-4 (two children and two grandchidlren), has been added to the minimum and maximum casualties ranges.

A post from Um Ahmed Yasmine offered condolences to Bashir Hamdi’s mother for the loss of her son and her grandchildren, and included an image of Bashir wearing a suit posing in front of a new car. The Board of Directors of the National Insurance Group offered their condolences and sympathy to the al-Qishawi and al-Awadi families “with the martyrdom of a large number of members of the two families” along with a photo collage of many men, women, and children, presumably images of those killed. As Airwars’ researchers did not find the names of any members of the al-Qishawi family who were killed in this incident, a death toll of 2-2 has been added to the total minimum and maximum casualty ranges to account for this.

A tweet from @ShehabAgency, along with multiple other local sources, reported that “martyrs and wounded, most of them children” resulted from the bombing of a house for the Abu Samaan family while a post from Ali Abu Samaan specified that seven members of the Abu Samaan family had been killed. As Airwars’ researchers did not find the names of any members of the Abu Samaan family who were killed in this incident, a death toll of 7-7 has been added to the total minimum and maximum casualty ranges to account for aggregate death tolls mentioned online.

A photo shared by Hebr News showed a scene of huge destruction reportedly at the site of the attack. Multiple homes had clearly been flattened with large craters visible in the ground and piles of rubble from collapsed buildings. A Facebook post from Abdelwhab Fatouh reported that the entire residential square in the al-Shamaa area of al-Zaytoun was bombed in the airstrike.

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023 the MoH has released six lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, with the exception of Alaa al-Awadi (Al-Aji) and Hanan Noman al-Awadi, all matched names are matched to the third ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on April 1st, 2024. Alaa and Hanan’s names were matched to the the third ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on September 17th, 2024.

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