Shortly before midnight on July 11th, 2025, at least 10 civilians, including six children and a woman, were reportedly killed and at least six others, including at least one woman, were injured in an alleged Israeli “suicide” drone strike on tents sheltering displaced persons in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The tents were located near the Kuwaiti Field Hospital and al-Aqsa University. An 11th person was was initially injured and later died from his wounds. He has been recorded as a militant.

The news agency Safa reported the attack on the tents sheltering displaced people at 23:45, mentioning that it led to nine deaths and injuries. According to Mahmoud Bassam and multiple other local sources, the attack was carried out by an Israeli “suicide” drone that hit the shelters of displaced families. Reports consistently noted the presence of children and women among the victims, with videos showing injured individuals being transported to field hospitals.

Mohamed Awad on Facebook and other social media sources provided the names of the victims.

The strike killed multiple members of the Abu Rida family, spanning three generations. 55-year-old Hossam Ahmed (Hamed) Abu Rida, the family’s grandfather, was killed along with his 37-year-old son Mohammed Hossam Ahmed Abu Rida, Mohammed’s 40-year-old wife Lubna Suleiman (Salman) Abu Rida, and their four children: four-year-old son Ahmed Mohammed Hossam Abu Rida, 11-year-old daughter Tala Mohammed Hossam Abu Rida, eight-year-old son Jude Mohammed Hossam Abu Rida, and seven-year-old son Moaz Mohammed Hossam Abu Rida.

One-year-old infant girl Saba Ibrahim Mohammed Abu Rida and 38-year-old Iyad Mohammed Hassan Abu Rida (a militant) were also mentioned on the list of victims killed according to local sources.

Iyad was a freed prisoner and reportedly died in the hospital from his wounds. In an image shared by Twitter/X account @MalaMimalamy he is seen as a clean-shaven man with a gentle smile, wearing a black shirt.

When Airwars first published this incident on August 22, 2025, no open sources were found to suggest that Iyad Mohammed Hassan Abu Rida was a militant. As such, Abu Rida was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status‘. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.

On June 28, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) armed wing published a tribute to Abu Rida, identifying him as a commander. As such, Airwars updated Abu Rida’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 11 to 10.

A relative, Bah Rida, later confirmed the deaths of Iyad and an eight-year-old boy named Abdullah Akram (Marwan) Abu Rida in a public tribute, while also mentioning that other family members were injured: “Today we bid farewell to our beloved, our relative and our dear companion, Iyad Mohammed Abu Rida, and my nephew, the beautiful child Abdullah Akram. {..}I also hope for your prayers for a speedy recovery for my mother, my sisters and my brothers’ children.” The Nasser Medical Complex and Kuwaiti Field Hospital reportedly received the victims. Bah Rida posted an image of Abdullah, a smiling boy dressed in a black turtleneck, showing a victory sign.

Several sources, including Kifah Qudaih, Ibrahim Huseein Abureada, and Bah Rida, emphasised the tragedy of the family’s loss. One post described how “Tala’s hair tie tells the story of the tragedy of the martyrdom of 9 members of the Abu Rida family when their tent was bombed in the southern Gaza Strip.”

Facebook account “Eastern Pulse” mourned the loss of Hossam Abu Rida, sharing his image where he is seen standing, wearing a white cap, sunglasses, a green shirt and white trousers, and holding fruit in his hands.

Facebook account “Khan Yunis Post” mourned the loss of Hossam’s son Mohammed and his family, sharing Mohammed’s image where he is portrayed staying outside, dressed in a green striped shirt and jeans.

In addition to the Abu Rida family members, 34-year-old Imad al-Din (Khalil Ahmed) Mansour, also reportedly a freed prisoner, was killed.  Imad’s image was shared in a Facebook post by “Broadcast network.” Imad is seen sitting on a red sofa dressed in a mint-coloured shirt and black trousers.

Footage shared by AlarabyTV showed bodies and the injured arriving at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. A post by Palestine Today TV stated that seven civilians, including children, were killed in the strike. Reports by Anadolu Agency confirmed that four bodies, including those of children, were recovered by emergency crews.

Several sources and tribute posts mentioned the victims as displaced people seeking refuge in al-Mawasi, with some sources identifying the location as near the south of Al-Najat Camp. Multiple family members and local pages mourned the loss, including messages from Ibrahim Huseein Abureada, Bah Raida, who lamented the incident and mourned the victims.

At least three injured children and three injured men were seen in video footage from the scene shared by @Mahmoud_Bassam8 on Twitter/X, but their identities remain unknown. The children were shown being treated by the medical personnel, crying from pain and calling their parents. The video also contained images of the remnants of a drone, identified as a SkyStriker drone.

The area was described by several sources as sheltering displaced persons, with no reports indicating the presence of military targets. Footage shared on social media showed scenes of devastation, including collapsed tents and civilians being treated at field hospitals.

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the eleventh ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on August 4, 2025. The ages of additional victims have been found by cross-checking names against lists of fatalities shared online by Genocide in Gaza, which has a list of “martyrs” of Israeli forces.

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