Shortly before 5:47 p.m. on Wednesday, 8th November 2023, at least 12 and up to 19 civilians were killed and a number of civilians, including a woman, were injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the inhabited al-Bourai family home in the Jabalia Camp, north of the Gaza Strip. Airwars identified at least 12 civilians, including four women and three children, as killed in the incident. At the same time, the sources emphasized that the entire family of Haji Zuhair al-Bourai was killed, including his sons, daughters, wives of his sons and grandchildren.

Gazan Shehab Agency reported the strike at 6:13 p.m., noting that 15 “martyrs” arrived at the Indonesian Hospital after “a house for the Burai family was targeted in the center of Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip.” Twitter/X user @alaa_m_alnajjar reported the same information earlier, at 5:47 p.m., and @PalinfoAr at 5:48 p.m.

Multiple other posts also stated 15 people had been killed in the alleged strike and arrived at the Indonesian Hospital. However, only 12 people were named throughout social media reporting, including four women and three children. Some sources reported that 19 civilians were killed as a result of the alleged Israeli bombing of an inhabited house next to Al-Yaman Al-Saeed Hospital in the middle of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, but it is not clear whether this information refers to the house of the al-Bourai family.

Moomen Al Bore posted that the house which was hit during the incident belonged to his uncle, 61-year-old Hajj Zuhair Ahmed Abed al-Raheem al-Bourai (Abu Muhammad), who had reportedly been killed in the strike alongside his 55-year-old wife Maha Mustafa Jouda al-Bourai, their four sons – Youssef, Muhammad, Baha and Bilal, and a daughter Randa, as well as grandchildren.

According to multiple sources, Zuhair Ahmed al-Bourai Abu Muhammad lost his entire family in this incident. Accompanying a post by Esraa Yousef, a graphic picture showed as many as 12 bodies lined up outside what is assumed to be a medical facility due to the ambulance and men wearing medical tunics.

Ahmaed M Jabr posted a prayer to their dear and beloved friend, 27-year-old  Youssef Zuhair Ahmed al-Bourai, Zuhair Ahmed Al-Bourai ’s son. They alluded that he had lost all his family members in this incident. Included in the post is a picture of a young man wearing a jumper with a peace sign gesture printed on it. According to Yousef’s profile on the website Genocide in Gaza, he was a nurse by profession. Beit Al Tamreed also wrote in his post that Youssef was a nurse, adding his image where he was standing at the seaside dressed in a red pullover.

In a message on Facebook, Lawyer Yahya Zuhair Muhanna posted that his sister,  35-year-old Reem Zuhair Faiq Muhanna (al-Bourai), was also killed in the strike, along with her 35-year-old husband, Zuhair’s son Muhammad Zuhair Ahmed al-Bourai. Yahya Zuhair Muhanna added that Reem and Muhammad’s daughter, Maha Muhammad Zahair al-Bourai, was killed in the alleged airstrike at the age of 10, along with their son, Zuhair Muhammad Zuhair al-Bourai, at the age of 8, and their infant son, Diaa Muhammad al-Bourai, who, according to the post, was 10 months old. Accompanying the post is a picture of Muhammad Zuhair Al-Bourari, pictured smiling with his children, and a picture of Diaa, just hours old.

Yahya wrote about his sister Reem: “My sister, my soul, the joy of my eyes, and my mother after my mother, the martyr, the steadfast, patient, and steadfast martyr,” while describing his niece Maha as “the daughter of my heart and the pulse of my soul”, and his nephew Zuhair as “ my beloved and spoiled child.” Yahya emphasized that the whole family of his sister was erased from the civil registry, and finished his post, posting, “May God have mercy on them all. You broke the heart, brought tears to the eyes, and burned the soul after you.”

In a post by Mohammaed Walid, he addressed how he had lost their brothers in the incident –  a brother, Youssef Zuhair Al-Bourai, along with Baha Abu Al-Ezz, Muhammad Abu Zuhair, and Bilal Abu Youssef, the four sons of Zuhair Ahmed Abed Al Raheem. Two of them, 36-year-old Bahaa  Zuhair Ahmed al-Burai (Abu Al Ezz) and 24-year-old Bilal Zuhair Ahmed al-Burai (Abu Youssef), had not been recorded in other posts. The wife of  Bilal was also killed, according to the sources, although her name and age are unknown, while the wife of Bahaa was injured, according to the post by Mohammed Mahdi Khalil. Mohammed Khalil wrote, “With hearts full of faith in Allah the Almighty and satisfied with His judgment and destiny, I mourn the martyrdom of my second family, my relatives, the al-Bourai  family, as a result of the bombing of their home last night.”

32-year-old Zuhair’s daughter, Randa Zuhair Ahmed al-Burai, was also killed in the strike, according to the website Shireen Monitor, an organisation which has a list of “Martyrs of Palestine” from 2023 onward, and includes thousands of names.

Where possible, the names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released eight 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. Regarding this incident, most of the names are matched to the third “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on April 1, 2024.

Ibrahim Hani posted an ode to some of those killed in the alleged airstrike, naming Abu Muhammad, Umm Muhammad Dia Al-Bourai, Bahaa Abu Al-Ez Youseff and Bilal. He wrote how generous the family was and how the day of their death was the worst in his life. Included was a picture of a group of men taking a selfie at a gathering in a courtyard.

Eman E Almdhoun posted that there were a number of wounded as well as those who had died; however, no other sources made estimates of those who may have been wounded.

Ghaza Falsten posted a picture accompanying a tweet about the incident, claiming that 19 had been martyred, and showed a picture of a large digger moving rubble. The picture is taken at night, which suggests the strike took place in the dark. There are approximately 20 people in the image wearing high-visibility jackets, watching the removal of the rubble. The presence of these men suggests that it is believed there may be people trapped under the rubble.

Ali_AlQaradaghi tweeted a video of a man who sits on a chair and speaks into the camera, where multiple bodies are laid by his feet, which are also pictured in other sources. In the caption, it explains that 19 members of the al-Bourai family had allegedly been killed in the strike. The man is described as “A Palestinian pilgrim” sending a message.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all pointed to the Israeli military as responsible for the strike.