Shortly before 10:45 AM on Saturday, September 21st 2024, the Israeli military conducted at least two airstrikes on a school building complex which includes Al-Falah school and Al-Zeitoun C school located in Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City. Displaced people were reportedly sheltering in the complex, mainly women and children.

Israeli forces declared the strike, claiming they were targeting a “command and control center” embedded in the compound. The IDF further claimed that “prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence”.

At least 24 civilians were reported killed in the strike, among them at least 15 children and five women. At least 29 others were injured in the incident, with dozens of children reportedly seriously injured, maimed, and burned. Nine children needed amputations. Eyewitnesses claimed that there was no prior warning about the strike.

The casualties referenced in this incident are likely linked to strikes on two parts of the school complex, though it’s also possible that only one part of the school complex was hit and sources referred to the same site as Al-Falah school and Al-Zeitoun school.

Two prominent Palestinian reporters, Anas al-Sharif and Hossam Shabat both reported from the complex on September 21. Airwars’ geolocation team confirmed that videos from both Anas and Hossam were filmed at Al-Zeitoun C School. In the videos, shared at 4:19 PM and 4:20 PM respectively, Anas referred to the site of the strikes as Al-Zeitoun C school, and Hossam referred to the site as Al-Falah school.

Though Airwars’ geolocation team confirmed that stills from Anas and Hossam’s videos were filmed at Al-Zeitoun C school, this doesn’t mean that a separate part of the school complex was not also struck. Only that the visual evidence available to Airwars matches the coordinates of Al-Zeitoun C.

As sources on the ground, exemplified by Anas and Hossam, referred at least in some scenarios to Al-Falah and Al-Zeitoun C schools interchangeably, Airwars continues to regard this incident as declared, matched to the IDF’s statement regarding a targeted strike on Al-Falah School. This will be updated should further information become available.

Twitter/X user @AnasAlSharif0 and @Hakeam_ps reported the strike at 10:45-10:53 AM, writing about deaths and injuries amongst civilians. At 12:52 Safa News Agency’s correspondent also reported the strike, noting that it led to the death of 20 civilians. At 13:38 Safa, referring to the Civil Defense, updated the information: “20 martyrs, including 13 children, 6 women and a fetus, and nearly 30 injured, including nine children with amputations, as a result of Israeli shelling of the “Al Zeitoun C” school, which houses thousands of displaced people in the Al Zeitoun neighbourhood, south of Gaza City.”

This information was corroborated by other sources. In particular, the Government Media Office reported that 21 civilians have been killed so far, among them 13 children and six women, including a heavily pregnant woman. The incident also caused 30 injuries, including nine children whose limbs have now been amputated. The rest of the injuries were burns, and two civilians were missing at the time of the report. Ana Al Sherief specified that “dozens of children” were injured.

Twitter/X user Dr Fadel Naim (@fnaim65) wrote: “Another horrific day in #Gaza City, and another massacre. We received 21 martyrs at the Ahli Arab Hospital today following the murder at Al Zeitoun School in the Al Zeitoun neighbourhood. These included 12 children, a fetus that was torn apart by shrapnel and came out of its mother’s womb, seven women, and one man.”

With the help of the list provided by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and tributes by family and friends on social media, Airwars researchers were able to identify the names of 24 people who were killed in the incident.

Juha family

Among the victims were five children of the Juha family: Farah Mamdouh Muhammad Juha, Hala Mamdouh Muhammad Juha, Wafaa Mamdouh Muhammad Juha, Khalil Mamdouh Muhammad Juha, and Tahrir Mamdouh Muhammad Juha.

Siam family

Two children of the Siam family, Yazan Rani Jamal Siam and Muhammad Rani Jamal Siam, were also identified as victims in the incident.

Sabah family

Two women, Malak Nidal Sabah and Sondos Ahmed Sabah, were killed in the attack on the school.

Yaseen family

Ahmed Kamel identified his nephews—Mohammed Khaled Yaseen, Mohammed Awni Yaseen, and Saleem Awni Yaseen – and his brother-in-law, Awni Saleem Yaseen (Abu Saleem), among the victims. In his post, Kamel prayed for mercy upon those who had passed, asking that they be welcomed into heaven. Awni was living with his sons Mohammed and Saleem at the school premises. Awni’s wife, daughter, and grandchildren were killed two weeks prior when their home was bombed in the Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood.

The Palestinian People’s Party wrote a tribute to 52-year-old Awni Saleem Yaseen, who was a prominent leader in the Gaza Governorate. They honoured his long-standing dedication, noting his involvement since 1987, from his role as Secretary General of the Party Organization in Al-Zeitoun to his membership on the Party Council. Remembering Yaseen’s commitment to Gaza, they praised his courage in supporting the injured and those impacted by the conflict, emphasising that he chose to remain in Gaza and face the war’s hardships alongside his community. Multiple images of Awni Saleem Yaseen were shared on social media.

Abu Al Issa Issa wrote an emotional tribute to the late Awni: “Shocking news that broke our hearts and made us cry with pain for your departure. Abu Saleem. To your pure soul, a thousand peace be upon the virtuous, humble martyr, the companion (Awni Yassin) Abu Saleem.”

Hai Al Zaitoun Al Rasmee wrote a tribute to Mohammed Awni Yaseen who appeared to be a young man in images. Ahmed Kamel shared additional pictures of Mohammed together with another young man, likely his brother Saleem Awni Yaseen.

Tafesh family

Two children, Hannen Tafesh and Ahmed Tafesh, were also both killed in the bombing of the school – it was not clear from the sources whether Ahmed and Hannen were relatives. Ana Al Sherif shared a video of Ahmed Tafesh’s mother bidding a tearful farewell to her only son, asking, “For what sin?” Just days earlier, Ahmed’s sister had also been killed. Ahmed’s grieving mother is seen carrying the body of the young son in her hands, kissing the white shroud and repeating “Habibi, Habibi.”

Many offered condolences to the Tafesh family through religious messages. Shahed Hossam wrote that the child Ahmed was his cousin and shared a picture of Ahmed – a very young boy dressed in a striped white-red sweater, blue jacket and jeans.

Twelve-year-old Hannen Tafesh was critically injured in the incident, with people posting on social media that she was “fighting for her life” as they prayed for her recovery. Tragically, just a few days later, on September 28, 2024, it was reported that she had succumbed to her injuries.

Al-Ajla family

Bashar Abu Nidal Al Kaeeb posted to Facebook to announce the death of his aunt, Asmaa Awad Abdel al-Ajla, and his young cousin, Asmaa’s son Muhammad Walid al-Ajla.

Al-Haddad family

Fatma Elhaddad mourned the loss of her cousin’s children, Muhammad Asaad al-Haddad and Hanan Asaad Adnan al-Haddad, writing: ”May Allah grant their families patience and compensate them with good and strengthen their hearts.”

Al-Diraou family

In a heartfelt post, Israa Kamal al Haj mourned the loss of her relative the pregnant Bara’a Ali Abdul Halim al-Diraou, her unborn child Mahmoud Ayman Mahmoud Madi, and her two daughters, Iman Ayman Mahmoud Madi and Israa Ayman Mahmoud Madi. “For what sin would a fetus be killed in its mother’s womb? For what sin would its innocent mother be killed?! For what sin would you kill her two beautiful daughters?!” she lamented. She went on praising the late Bara’a: “You were an angel dripping with good manners and morals.. Patient and content..!”

Some sources shared a graphic image of Bara’a’s fetus who according to different reports Bara’a was either three or seven months pregnant. Twitter/X user @SuppressedNws shared a video with a civil defense voluinteer holds the fetus in his hands.

Displaced Gazan Randa al-Nadim told AFP she saw a pregnant woman killed in the strike. “Here a woman was martyred, and this is her blood on the stairs… we found her belly open and the fetus on the stairs,” she said. “Did the fetus fight Israel?”

Others killed

A child named Khader Moataz Haji was reportedly killed in the attack.

Injured children

Of those who were injured, a two-year-old girl named Masa, had one of her legs amputated after being injured in the incident, as reported by emad_salem21. The video showed a small girl lying on a hospital bed, with her head bandaged and traces of blood on her face.

Twitter/X user @EyeonPalestine shared a graphic video of an infant girl called Siba who suffered severe burns of her face and body. The voice in the video said that girl was almost one year old, that her mother had been killed, and that this was not the first time she had been hit by an attack. According to the video, the infant Siba was in critical condition at the time and was being transferred to Kamal Adwan Hospital. Twitter/X user Quds News Network (@QudsNen) shared a video of another infant with severe burns being treated at the hospital.

Eleven-year-old Layan Haji was rescued from under the rubble of her home by civil defense with critical injuries as evidenced by the video shared by Twitter/X user @NourNaim88 and other social media users. Another video filmed by Al Jazeera English showed a moment Layan was discovered by rescue workers, her body was sandwiched between concrete slabs, without visible wounds, but the girl said that her leg was in a bad condition. A rescuer was saying “We are coming to get you”, and she responded “Please get me out.”

Eyewitness accounts

Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes of scattered bodies and injured children. Hossam Shabat recounted seeing a grieving father searching desperately for his children and screaming “Where are my children, O God? Grant me one last vision so I can see my children,” while journalist Mohammed Yasseen Al Bora’ai described the event as a “bloodiest massacre,” calling on the world to act. Hossam Shabat added gruesome details: “We saw many children in bags, and we saw the child who came out of his mother’s womb as a fetus.”

Mohammed Al Borai’ai also depicted the horrible aftermath of the strike: “Frightening and cruel scenes… Children’s remains scattered everywhere and some others were completely charred…. Bodies lying on the ground and under the rubble with amputated hands and legs…. A horrific massacre in which the food and food plates were stained with blood. The remains of the children or what remained of their bodies were collected in plates.” Facebook user Saad Hussen also emphasized that many civilians killed, including children, were dismembered.

Strike aftermath and circumstances

WAFA News Agency posted a series of images showing the efforts of citizens and civil defense volunteers amidst the destruction and chaos. Huge holes in the walls, blasted walls, rubble, debris after the demolition of the building, scattered personal belongings and traces of blood can be seen in the images.

International news outlets, including Al Jazeera, Sky News, and CNN, reported on the incident. A woman who had been staying at the school told CNN: “There was no warning. We were sitting in the schools, and suddenly missiles started raining down on us. There was no warning. Where is the conscience?”

Witnesses said that before the strike, orphans had gathered there because they were due to receive sponsorships from a local NGO for humanitarian assistance. One witness Said Al-Malahi told Reuters: “The women and their children were sitting in the playground of the school, the kids were playing, and suddenly two rockets hit them.”

A girl named Amal, sheltering at the school, pleaded to CNN, “What have we, the children, done? … At least stop the bombing of schools. We have no schools, no homes—where should we go?”

The Israeli military reported the strike in its Telegram channel at 11:16, writing: “IDF: Over the past hour, with the direction of Southern Command and IDF intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control center in the Gaza City. The command and control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Al Falah School, was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.”

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor investigated the site, listed 21 victims and reported that mainly women and children were among the casualties, with no evidence of militant activity.