Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0422a

Incident date

October 21, 2023

Location

السلام, Al Salam, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.267908, 34.256552 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In the morning of Saturday, 21 October 2023, the al-Shaer family home in the Al-Salam neighborhood of Rafah was hit in an alleged Israeli airstrike, resulting in the deaths of 10 identified members of the family and the injury of others.

A post from Ismail Abu Ahmed identified 10 members of the al-Shaer family who were killed: the father, 53-year-old Muhammad Fathi Nayef al-Shaer, the mother, 48-year-old Nabila Hammad Mahmoud al-Shaer, and their children: 24-year-old Bilal Fathi al-Shaer, 14-year-old Mahmoud Fathi al-Shaer, 15-year-old Lama Fathi al-Shaer, and 29-year-old Lobna Fathi al-Shaer. Lobna’s three children were also killed: 4-year-old Sidra Basel Ramadan al-Shaer, 12-year-old Khalil Basel Ramadan al-Shaer, and 10-year-old Ahmed Basel Ramadan al-Shaer. Another relative of the family, 53-year-old Ebtesam Mohammed Ahmed al-Shaer who was reported to be from Egypt, was also killed in the incident. According to @Mustafa3Ahed, the home that was destroyed belonged to the journalist Firas al-Shaer. Alghad TV News specified that the residence was a “three-storey house” and corresponding images show high levels of destruction.

Family members, such as Hussein Abu Jamal al-Shaer, expressed profound grief, stating, “The eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, and we only say what pleases our Lord, and we are saddened by their separation” as he mourned the loss of Uncle Muhammad Abu Firas Al-Shaer, his wife, and their children. The Directorate of Education, Rafah, posted on behalf of the Rafah Basic School B for Boys and bid farewell to the Al-Shaer family members, acknowledging the impact on their school community. They drew specific attention to Lobna Fathi al-Shaer, who served as the deputy of the Parents Council in Rafah. In the post, the Directorate shared “sincere condolences and sympathy to the al-Shaer family.”

A Safa correspondent reported that a number of people were wounded due to the bombing of the al-Shaer family home. No other sources provided additional information about the number of wounded.

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

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

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (10)

Muhammad Fathi Nayef al-Shaer محمد فتحي نايف الشاعر
53 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 410114474
Nabila Hammad Mahmoud al-Shaer نبيلة حماد محمود الشاعر
48 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 900882507
Bilal Fathi al-Shaer بلال فتحي الشاعر
24 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 404652307
Mahmoud Fathi al-Shaer محمود فتحي الشاعر
14 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 429219835
Lama Fathi al-Shaer لما فتحي الشاعر
15 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 424112696
Lobna Fathi al-Shaer لبنى فتحي الشاعر
29 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 400004099
Sidra Basel Ramadan al-Shaer سيدرا باسل رمضان الشاعر
4 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 440875938
Khalil Basel Ramadan al-Shaer خليل باسل رمضان الشاعر
12 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 432380095
Ahmed Basel Ramadan al-Shaer أحمد باسل رمضان الشاعر
10 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 434068011
Ebtesam Mohammed Ahmed al-Shaer ابتسام محمد احمد الشاعر
53 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 700452527

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of al Salam (السلام) to the east of Rafah (رفح). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to find boundaries for the neighbourhood and to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for al Salam are: 31.267908, 34.256552.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10
  • (5 children3 women2 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 (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (18) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hussein Abu Jamal Al-Shaer
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hussein Abu Jamal Al-Shaer
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hussein Abu Jamal Al-Shaer
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hussein Abu Jamal Al-Shaer
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hussein Abu Jamal Al-Shaer
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Basic School B for Boys
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Basic School B for Boys
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Basic School B for Boys
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ismail Abu Ahmed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ismail Abu Ahmed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ismail Abu Ahmed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ismail Abu Ahmed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The poet's family - the official page
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The poet's family - the official page
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Mustafa3Ahed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Mustafa3Ahed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alghad.tv news
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10
  • (5 children3 women2 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 (14) [ collapse]