At dawn on Saturday, January 4th, 2025, at least three civilians, all participating in some form of aid delivery, were reportedly killed and several were injured following an alleged Israeli airstrike on a civilian car near Abu Holi junction south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Three victims were named, but the total number of fatalities remains uncertain.

Al Jazeera Mubasher reported that a “number of Palestinians” were killed in the incident, and Shadi Press mentioned “several injuries.” While most sources, including Sufian Alaqqad and Safa PS, reported a death toll of three, others, such as Ramallah News and Raya FM, cited “local sources” claiming a total of four fatalities. Three people, 22-year-old Osama Muhammad Awda Abu Khammash, Mahmoud Hassan al-Ubaid (age unavailable), and 32-year-old Mustafa Samir Mahmoud Jundia have been identified among the victims.

The age of the two victims was ascertained with the help of the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) fatality lists, as well as Shireen Monitor, an organisation which has a list of “Martyrs of Palestine” from 2023 onward, and includes thousands of names.

@Tufan_ALaqssa, Msdr News, and Hani Alshaer referred to the victims as “aid delivery” and “aid workers”.

In reaction to their deaths, relatives and friends took to social media to share their grief. Mustafa Samir Jundia’s cousins, Farag and Mohammed Jundia, along with his neighbor, Yaala Bj, shared messages of sorrow and prayers for the deceased. His paternal cousin, Haitham Jundia, referred to him as the “dear one to my heart” and asked him to “say hi to my uncle,” Mustafa’s father, who is believed to have passed away before the war, according to Mustafa’s own Facebook posts. Another paternal cousin, Ayman Jundia, expressed regret over being “unable to bid him farewell” and revealed that Mustafa had recently married during the war “under the oppression and humiliation of the tents.” Photos of Mustafa depict a man wearing a red shirt in a number of the images.  Sami Abu Khamash, likely a relative of Osama Awda Khammash, also shared a photo of Osama along with words of comfort. The picture captured a young Osama, smiling while on horseback.

Reports from Al Jazeera Mubasher and @SayfAlqudss indicated that a car carrying aid personnel was struck near the Abu Holi Salah junction, located southeast of Deir al-Balah, as reported by Shadi Press. Images of the aftermath of the vehicle burned beyond recognition reveal the full scale of the attack.

Al Jazeera Mubasher further stated that the incident occurred “at dawn,” aligning with an urgent post by Ramallah News released at 3:46 a.m. (local time).

Alqastal reported that the Red Crescent recovered the bodies, as shown in images shared by Salam FM. Palestine TV News added that the victims were transported to Al-Aqsa Hospital, sharing a video of how three bodies in white bags were being transported from an ambulance to the hospital in the presence of multiple eyewitnesses. In a similar video shared by Al Qastal News on Facebook, the transportation of one injured man from an ambulance can be seen.

Mentioned above, where possible, Airwars cross-checks victims’ names against fatality records released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Airwars’ researchers ascertained Mustafa and Mahmoud’s ages using these lists, matching both Mustafa and Mahmoud to entries in the eighth MoH list released on March 23, 2025. Airwars prioritizes the first appearance of a name across these lists for consistency.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all attributed responsibility to the Israeli army.