Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0860b

Incident date

November 3, 2023

Location

منزل عائلة أبو السبح ، صار و خغاشم  في غزة, Abu Sabeh Family house, Sar and Khash-Sham in Gaza, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

Five civilians, including four members of the Abu al-Sibah family, were killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike that hit their family house in Sar and Khash-Sham in Gaza on November 3rd or 4th 2023.

Local sources identified the names of the killed family members as: 34-year-old Professor Hamza Mohammed Abu al-Sibah, his brother 29-year-old Belal Mohammed Abu al-Sibah, his sister 39-year-old Elham Mohammed Abu al-Sibah (Hamdan), and Elham’s daughter whose name is unknown. A friend and colleague of Hamza, 32-year-old Muhammad al-Awar, was also killed.

Family and friends took to social media to express their grief and mourn the loss of their loved ones. “And never think that those who are killed in the cause of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision” wrote Haitham Abu Nasser, a friend of Hamza and Muhammad. Another friend, Fadi Al Haj, shared on Facebook that he had been avoiding his phone to escape the news of losing a loved one. However, he had to express deep sorrow after learning about the loss of a friend like Hamza. Amal Alqadi, a cousin of Hamza, Belal, and Elham, wished condolences to his aunt Umm Ahmed Abu Al-Subh and his mother Najah Alqadi on the loss of their relatives, children and niece/nephews respectively.

In particular, the local community and the Palestinian Bar Association Gaza mourned the death of the two friends and colleagues: Hamza and Muhammad. They had been friends for over 13 years, both lawyers and partners at the same law firm. Always together, they shared a close circle of friends and acquaintances. Hamza was described as a “whirlwind” whose dream was to travel the world, while Muhammad was always supportive and uplifting with his colleagues, creating a positive and motivating environment around him, reported Martyrs of Gaza on Twitter. The latter also added: “They were companions in this world, and Allah willed them to be companions in the hereafter. They were buried together in the same grave.” Local sources posted various images of Hamza and Muhammad in suits often in office settings.

The local time of the incident is unknown but the post of Martyrs of Gaza mentioned it happened at night. While the majority of sources reported on the incident on November 3rd, a post from Amal Hadad identified the incident as occurring on November 4th.

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

All full 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 15, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the second ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on January 7th, 2024.

The incident occured after midnight.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Hamza Mohammed Abu al-Sibah حمزة محمد أبو السبح
34 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 801231663
Belal Mohammed Abu al-Sibah بلال محمد أبو السبح
29 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 410521249
Elham Mohammed Abu al-Sibah (Hamdan) إلهام محمد أبو السبح
39 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 800267445
Elham's daughter (Unnamed)
Age unknown female killed

The victims were named as:

Muhammad al-Awar محمد الأعور
32 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 802914713

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (0–1 children1–2 women3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (40) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Yosef Yosef
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Yosef Yosef
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bilal Salim Al Shafai
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bahaa Matar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bahaa Matar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Dawood Dawood
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Dawood Dawood
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestinian Bar Association Gaza
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestinian Bar Association Gaza
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Haitham Abu Nasser
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Haitham Abu Nasser
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestinian Bar Association Gaza
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestinian Bar Association Gaza
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Fadi Al Haj
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rami Al Oustaz
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ranin Al Qudwa
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ranin Al Qudwa
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Bashir abu Samir
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Bashir abu Samir
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Bashir abu Samir
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Bashir abu Samir
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Zakaria Abu Mlihe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Zakaria Abu Mlihe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amal Hadad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @GazaMartyrs
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @GazaMartyrs
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @GazaMartyrs

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (0–1 children1–2 women3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]