Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0221

Incident date

October 15, 2023

Location

مخيم النصيرات 5, Al Nuseirat Camp 5, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.452843, 34.390054 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Referenced in

Litigation
Case against UK Business Secretary for arms transfers to Israel
GLAN

Airwars assessment

On Sunday, October 15th 2023, at least 22 civilian members of the Al-Taweel family, including nine women and seven children, were reportedly killed and an unknown number were wounded in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the house of the al-Taweel family in Camp 5, Nuseirat, central Gaza strip. Khalil al Ghafari stated that the house was bombed without warning and that there were “martyrs, children and women under the rubble.”

A Facebook testimony by Tagamo, a possible relative of the family, helped to identify 22 deceased family members by name. A 64-year old Professor Abdelaziz Saeed Muhammad al-Taweel (Abu Mazen) was killed alongside his wife, a 54-year old Tukween Ibrahim Ali al-Taweel, and her sister Haifa al-Taweel. The professor and Tukween’s 28-year old daughter Rasha Abdel Aziz Saeed al-Taweel and Rasha’s daughter Tukween al-Taweel were also killed.

Among the victims of the strike were also Abu al-Majd al-Taweel along with his first wife, a 45-year old  Tughreed Khamees Isma’il al-Taweel and their 25-year old son Majd Ibrahim Saeed al-Taweel as well as his second wife 26-year old Mona al-Taweel and their daughter Hind al-Taweel.

The testimony further mentions the deceased sons of Abdel Nasser al-Taweel, namely a 37-year old Saeed Ridwan Saeed al-Taweel who was killed alongside his wife Samah al-Taweel and their three daughters whose names were not provided; Abdel’s other son Bahjat Abu Tamer who was killed alongside his 33-year old wife Rasha Sameer Muhammad al-Taweel and their two sons, an 8-year old Tamer Bahjat Abdel Naser al-Taweel and a 5-year old Nasser Bahjat Abdel Nasser al-Taweel. Facebook user Tawi posted a video showing a funeral procession for Saeed Ridwan Saeed al-Taweel.

The al-Taweel family has also lost the “activist and initiator”, a 52-year old woman Tufaha Saeed Muhammad al-Taweel (Umm Saed), and the children of Zaki al-Taweel  – a 31-year old son Ahmed al-Taweel Abu Omar (Abu Wael) and a 28-year old daughter Mariam Zaki Yusuf al-Taweel.

Musab al-Taweel, a relative of the family, mourned the death of Abu al-Majd al-Taweel, Abu Mazen al-Taweel, and Saeed al-Taweel Abu Abdullah, adding that a large number of the family was killed in the “hideous massacre.”  He also shared the images of some family members killed in the attack.

Only one source, Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati, mentioned wounded from the al-Taweel family but did not specify how many.

Al Jazeera shared a video of the widespread destruction caused by the bombing, reporting that their correspondent “monitors the effects of destruction from the bombing of the home of the Mukhtar of the Al-Tawil family in the Nuseirat camp in Gaza.” A Facebook user Mokhayaam reported that the place was “leveled completely, ”sharing a video of the destroyed building. Palestine Post shared images of the rescue efforts, saying that the search for victims was still ongoing. A Facebook user Ahmed Adress wrote that there were dozens of bodies of the victims transported from al-Shifa hospital to mass graves, sharing images of the bodies shrouded in white funeral cloth.

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

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (22)

Professor Abdelaziz Saeed Muhammad Al-Taweel (Abu Mazen) عبد العزيز الطويل
64 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 947100988
Tukween Ibrahim Ali Al-Taweel تكوين الطويل
54 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 902354224
Rasha Abdel Aziz Saeed Al-Taweel رشا عبد العزيز الطويل
28 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 401782636
Haifa Al-Taweel هيفا الطويل
Adult female killed
Tukween Al-Taweel تكوين الطويل
Child female killed
Abu Al Majed Al Taweel أبو المجد الطويل
Adult male killed
Tughreed Khamees Isma'il Al-Taweel تغريد الطويل
45 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 901465443
Majd Ibrahim Saeed Al-Taweel مجد الطويل
25 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 404065518
Mona Abdel Naser Saeed Al-Taweel منى الطويل
26 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 402498729
Hind Al-Taweel هند الطويل
Child female killed
Saeed Ridwan Saeed Al-Taweel سعيد الطويل
37 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 801531260
Samah Al-Taweel سماح الطويل
Adult female killed
Daughter of Saeed Ridwan Saeed Al-Taweel ابنته سعيد الطويل
female killed
Daughter of Saeed Ridwan Saeed Al-Taweel ابنته سعيد الطويل
female killed
Daughter of Saeed Ridwan Saeed Al-Taweel ابنته سعيد الطويل
female killed
Bahjat Al-Taweel بهجت الطويل
Adult male killed
Rasha Sameer Muhammad Al-Taweel رشا الطويل
33 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 801188384
Tamer Bahjat Abdel Naser Al-Taweel تامر الطويل
8 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 435812193
Nasser Bahjat Abdel Nasser Al-Taweel ناصر الطويل
5 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 440490738
Tufaha Saeed Muhammad Al-Taweel تفاحة الطويل
52 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 925718561
Ahmed Zaki Youssef Al-Taweel أحمد الطويل
31 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 804017168
Mariam Zaki Yusuf Al-Taweel مريم الطويل
28 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 400733168

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention Al Nuseirat Camp 5 (مخيم النصيرات 5) northeast of Deir Al Balah (دير البلح). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to the following exact coordinates: 31.452843, 34.390054.

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  • Imagery:
    New camp

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    22
  • (7 children9 women6 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (56) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency

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    Source: @ShehabAgency

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    Source: @ShehabAgency

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    Source: @ShehabAgency

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mokhayaam alnusaerat

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    Source: Mokhayaam alnusaerat

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mokhayaam alnusaerat

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Musab Musab Al-Taweel

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Musab Musab Al-Taweel

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Musab Musab Al-Taweel

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Musab Musab Al-Taweel

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Musab Musab Al-Taweel

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Adel Zoroub

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    Source: Adel Zoroub

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    Source: Adel Zoroub

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    Source: Adel Zoroub

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    Source: Adel Zoroub

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Wissam Hassan

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    Source: Wissam Hassan

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Wissam Hassan

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Lawir Mahmoud Al-Namrati

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine

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    Source: Palestine

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine

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    Source: Palestine

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    Source: Palestine

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Iyad Al-Taweel

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    Source: Iyad Al-Taweel

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    Source: Khalil Al Ghafari

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    Source: Khalil Al Ghafari

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    Source: Khalil Al Ghafari

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    Source: Khalil Al Ghafari

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    Source: Abo Majdo

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    Source: Abo Majdo

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    Source: Abo Majdo

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Ismail

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Ismail

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    Source: Mohammed Ismail

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahmed Address

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    Source: Ahmed Address

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    Source: Ahmed Address

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    Source: Ahmed Address

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    Source: Ahmed Address

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    Source: Ahmed Address

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Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    22
  • (7 children9 women6 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]