On October 10th 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike on the homes of the Al-Majaydeh and Ahmed families situated in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip reportedly killed four civilians belonging to one family, including one woman and two children, and wounded from six to 14 other civilians. A fifth member of the family was killed and has been recorded as a militant.

One of the victims, Saeed Mohammed Al-Majaydeh, was initially injured and later died from his injuries on October 16th, 2023. A Facebook post by Younis Al-Majaida shows the rubble and a severely damaged house, reportedly belonging to the Al-Majaydeh family.

Thaer Wael Al-Majaydeh (a militant) was killed alongside his wife Islam Kulayb Arada Alshaer (Al-Majaydeh) and their two daughters, including a 3-year old daughter Masa Thaer Al-Majaydeh.

When Airwars first published this incident on December 1, 2023, no open sources were found to suggest that Thaer Wael Al-Majaydeh was a militant. As such, Thaer Wael Al-Majaydeh 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 July 5, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)’s’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Thaer Wael Al-Majaydeh, identifying him as a fighter As such, Airwars updated Thaer Wael Al-Majaydeh’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from five to four.

The cousins of the late Thaer –  Rana Al-Majayda, Eman Arad, and Ibrahim Al-Majayda, as well as other family members Muneer Al-Majaydeh, Sami Al-Majaydeh, Mustafa Almajaideh, and Ahmad Akkad – posted their heartfelt testimonies on Facebook, mourning the death of Thaer, his wife and children. Some tributes feature the pictures of Thaer, a smiling middle-aged man.

A teacher by profession, Saeed Mohammed Al-Majaydeh, whose Facebook profile was followed by 4,700 users, was also remembered by his relatives and friends. The Facebook tribute by his cousin Khaled Al-Majadeh noted that Saeed was a “decent, handsome, elegant, humble, smiling teacher” and mentioned his good character and qualities. He also uploaded an image showing a young smiling man in an elegant suit. The testimony by the Almajayda family also mourned the death of Saeed, noting that his funeral prayers would happen the next day at Nasser Medical Hospital.

Aida Mohammad posted on Facebook that 14 individuals were injured, while other sources, such as Shehab agency, put the injury count at six.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. According to the Facebook user Khaled Al-Majaydeh, the attack happened without a prior warning.

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.