Incident Code
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Airwars Assessment
At least one child was killed and another was injured by an alleged Israeli drone strike in the Al-Dakhiliya area in Jabalia al-Balad, Gaza on February 17, 2026.
@ShehabAgency reported that a child was killed and another was injured when Israeli forces “targeted” the Al-Dakhiliya area in Jabalia al-Balad.
Palestine Online provided the tragic story of loss that has burdened the Asaliya family, identifying 14-year-old Youssef Rasem Asaliya as the child killed in Jabalia. According to Palestine Online, Youssef was tragically killed in the same area where his mother had been killed years ago and near to where his brother, also named Youssef, had been killed during an Israeli “incursion” east of Jabalia refugee camp 14 years before.
Youssef’s father Rasem Asaliya said that his son had been killed while trying to collect firewood in the area where their destroyed home used to be in Jabalia area, which he emphasized was outside the Israeli army’s deployment zone. Youssef’s cousin Mutasim Asaliya explained that despite his young age, Youssef bore the responsibility to help provide for his family due to the shortage of basic necessities, his selflessness described as “he was happy when he saw his sisters eating well.” Another of Youssef’s cousins had also been with him during the attack, and reportedly “the bombing was direct and intense, resulting in severe injuries to the child.” Hamla Kaddour pointed out that in addition to the death and injury of children, “contact was lost with three other children as a result of [Israel] targeting them in the Al-Dakhiliya area”, but there was no follow-up information available as to the status of the children.
Despite the ongoing threat of drones and gunfire in the area, Palestine Online reported that Youssef’s family eventually managed to retrieve his body to be buried at the Al-Faluja cemetery. Al-Hadaf News Agency reported that the child’s body had been brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to the Israeli military.
Victims
Family members (2)
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the Al-Dakhiliya area, referring to the Al-Dakhiliya street (شارع الداخلية) in Jabalia al-Balad (جباليا البلد), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.526740, 34.495352. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to find boundaries for the street and to verify the location further.
Geolocation Observation: Yellow Line