On the morning of Wednesday, October 25, 2023, multiple homes belonging to members of the Al-Farra family in the Mahatta area of Khan Yunis, the Gaza Strip, were hit by an alleged Israeli airstrike, killing at least 14 civilians, including seven women and five children, and injuring 20 others, including three children. One of the men killed in the strike has been categorised with ‘contested’ status due to ambiguity in information circulated online around his civilian status.

During the morning of October 25th, Safa News reported “5 martyrs and dozens of injuries in the bombing of a house for the “al-Farra” family in Khan Younis”. A Facebook post from Yahya E. [al-Farra], a journalist and member of the family, reported that a block of houses belonging to the Al-Farra family was bombed, specifically the home of Mr. Jamal Tawfiq Al-Farra and the home of Al-Astal, and that 20 injuries had already arrived at the hospital.

Family members and friends of the al-Faraa family posted tributes to the victims. Social media tributes by family and friends helped Airwars to identify the names of the family members killed and injured in the deadly strike.

Sixty-year-old Issam Tawfiq al-Farra was killed alongside his wife, 46-year-old Simat Youssef Khalil al-Farra, and their three daughters: 21-year-old Tuqa Issam Tawfiq al-Farra, 19-year-old Russel (Rasul) Issam Tawfiq al-Farra, and 11-year-old Adeyan Issam Tawfiq al-Farra. Abdullah Issam Tawfiq al-Farra, the son of Issam and Simat, was injured in the incident. A Facebook post from Amin [al-Farra] referred to Issam Tawfiq as a “Brigadier General” – no additional information was found to clarify this reference, but based on the possible reference to military participation, Issam has been classified as a “contested” civilian.

Issam and his daughters were memorialized in a post by @aboodka_04, which included an image of a middle-aged man, presumably Issam, and three girls/women. The Fatah Youth Movement at Al-Azhar University made a post mourning the death of Russel Issam, and a tweet from @Abood_Shantii also mourned Tuqa Issam, writing that she was killed on her wedding day.

The X/Twitter account @GazaMartyrs memorialized Russel Issam as a young woman “with high aspirations, and dreamed of becoming a software engineer. She started her small project and created a page where she shared various programming tutorials. She loved cats a lot and had a cat named Sukkar. She also loves birds and always takes pictures with them.” The post also mentioned that “She loves life and has friends like her sisters and even more. Many memories bind them together. She departed while still pursuing her simple dreams. [Russel] had reserved a dress for her sister Tuqa’s wedding, but she didn’t get to wear it.” Russel Issam is pictured in one image smiling while holding multiple pet birds, and in another, she is joyously looking at the sky.

42-year-old Maha Ahmed Jouda al-Farra was killed alongside her three daughters, one-year-old Mecca Imad Tawfiq Al-Farra, Sana Imad Tawfiq Al-Farra (child), 16-year-old Lama Imad Tawfiq Al-Farra, and her son, Ahmed Imad Tawfiq Al-Farra (child). Based on familial names, it is likely that Maha was a sister-in-law of Issam and Simat, and Maha’s children were the nieces and nephews of Issam and Simat.

A post from Muhammad J. [al-Farra] on November 6th reported that Lama Imad had died of her injuries sustained in the bombing that killed her family members.

Issam Tawfiq’s brother, engineer Jamal Tawfiq Al-Farra, was injured alongside his wife, whose name is unknown. Jamal and his wife’s two daughters, 26-year-old Reem Jamal Tawfiq Al-Farra and 19-year-old Halaa Jamal Tawfiq Al-Farra, were killed, alongside their son, 30-year-old Dr. Tawfiq Jamal Tawfiq Al-Farra, and his pregnant wife, 23-year-old Professor Dana Hassan al-Sakka.

A tweet from @AbdulbAlkhoum reported on the injury of Jamal Tawfiq, identified as the “Secretary of the Fatah movement – central Khan Yunis region” and both the tweet and an additional post from Waleed Said reportedly showed Jamal with visible burn injuries to his arms and his head.

X/Twitter account @GazaMartyrs posted a memorial to Halaa Jamal, including her last post just a few days before the incident, which read “I wish I could find someone who continues to talk about me and doesn’t forget, considering my more than just a number.” Hala was studying computer engineering and getting ready for her second year in college when she was killed, and she was “full of energy, love, and enthusiasm.” Halaa enjoyed playing basketball, red roses, the sea, clouds, tea, and “Those who knew her had no choice but to love her”. Tragically, Halaa’s body was trapped under the rubble for 30 hours before it was discovered.

A Facebook post from Flora Naaman Ibrahim Al-Masry mentioned “The martyrdom of the trainee lawyer, Professor Dana [Hassan al-Sakka] and her husband, Dr. Tawfiq Jamal al-Farra.” The post included an image of Dana Hassan, where she is wearing a graduation robe and smiling. According to @YaraMoh88266982 and other local sources, Dana Hassan was a lawyer, and Dr. Tawfiq Jamal was a dentist; they had just gotten married at the beginning of the year, and they were expecting their first child.

In another post from @GazaMartyrs, Dana was described as “a person with a very sweet soul who loved everyone and was the kindest,” and that she used to say, ‘Imagine, I’ll become a mom!’ Dr. Tawfiq was described in the same post as a “gentle doctor who always comforted us until his last breath, making us laugh so we wouldn’t feel the pain.” An image posted by @YaraMoh88266982 showed the beautiful young couple in formal attire in front of a home.

@GazaMartyrs also made a post about Reem Jamal, writing that “she was one of the first in her class of English language and literature at Al-Aqsa University, full of life and ambition. She loved pursuing her dreams and was dedicated to them.” The post included an image of Reem wearing a beige coloured jacket and smiling, posing on a rooftop. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Twitter/X account @pmofa also memorialized Reem, mentioning that Reem had gotten engaged in August.

Judy Muhammad Abdel Majeed al-Farra was injured alongside Alaa Muhammad Abdel Majeed Al-Farra; both were siblings.

Zain Nabil Ahmed al-Farra and his sibling Habiba Nabil Ahmed al-Farra were also among those injured, in addition to Wafa Asim Mazen al-Farra, Wafa Nazie Abdul Karim Al-Farra, Hashem Ahmed Muhammad Al-Farra, Amani Haitham Bassam Al-Farra,  and Nihad Majeed Al-Farra.

Photojournalist Muhammed al-Farra received the news of the “death of his entire family” after the bombing. A report by Dostor News confirmed that the journalist was away covering events of the conflict in Gaza when the bombing occurred, and coverage by Al-Ghad TV showed Muhammed al-Farra in distress and crying at the news of his family’s death.

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, names are matched to the first “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on October 26, 2023.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces. The Farra Family Facebook page specified that the incident occurred “without prior warning”.