On Sunday, November 10th 2024, at least 25 civilians, including 10 women and 11 children, were killed and at least six others were wounded in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a home sheltering displaced people in the town of Alamat, northern Lebanon.

Additionally, an individual who appears to have been an active member of Hezbollah’s militant wing but was receiving medical treatment at the time of the strike was also killed. In line with international humanitarian law, Airwars has classified this individual as ‘hors de combat’ – out of combat.

The house struck in the incident reportedly belonged to a family that was well-known in the area. Ali [Haidar], a local source, stated on Facebook that the property, a 70-year-old house, was owned by his grandfather Haitham. This was corroborated by a post by Legal Agenda on Facebook stating that “warplanes raided Abu Haidar’s house […] destroying a house on the heads of thirty displaced men and women.” Siham, another source, specified that the house was registered in the name of Muhammed Haidar, while other reports attributed the ownership to Judge Z. Haidar Ahmad, who was described as a friend of the family. Legal Agency spoke with Haitham Haidar, reportedly the owner of the house, who said that “We, like the people of our town, Alamat, decided as brothers to put the family home at the service of our people who were forced to leave their homes.”

Local sources detailed that the house had provided shelter to 35 individuals from six different families, all from the Baalbek area who had been displaced by Israeli airstrikes in their hometown of Hawsh al-Rafiqa. The families had reportedly sought refuge there for a month, with the homeowner permitting them to stay out of goodwill. Among the families mentioned were the Al-Qarsifi, Abdul Hussein, and Zurayq families, who were all related, according to Facebook users Annahar and Siham.

Several sources suggested that the house was targeted because of the individuals sheltering there. Reports by Keserwanvoice and Akkar Alhakika2 indicated that the primary target was likely First Sergeant Youssef Al-Qarsifi, a member of the Internal Security Forces, and his family. For reasons detailed below, Airwars has not recorded Youssef al-Qarsifi as a militant. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Other accounts, including posts by Abu Alhasan Alsumaidaa and Alhadath, alleged that the airstrike aimed to target Ahmad Amhaz who was reportedly a senior Hezbollah member. A Facebook post shared by Abu Alhasan Alsumaidaa referred to Ahmad as “a commander in Al-Hezb”, a term used to refer to Hezbollah. A post shared by Alhadath to Facebook said that Ahmad “was injured during the clashes in the south and was transferred…to Alamat in Jbeil, where he was targeted by Israel in the raid on a building housing displaced people, which led to the killing of 25 people”. The post added that “the rubble removal operations [were] still ongoing.” Other sources, including Facebook user Boutrous reiterated that Ahmad had been injured in the South, and was receiving treatment in Alamat.

Though Ahmad does seem to have been an active member in Hezbollah’s militant wing, the fact that he was injured and receiving treatment during the time of the strike means that he likely had ‘hors de combat’ status. Under Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, attacking individuals who are hors de combat (out of combat) is prohibited. His status has been reflected accordingly by Airwars in our casualty range.

The fatalities included multiple generations of the same family, led by the family matriarch, Zainab Hussein al-Qarsifi. Zainab died alongside many of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A detailed list, shared amongst others including Jomana Taher, identified at least 26 family members killed in the attack while Legal Agenda, which put the number of deaths at 27, including 10 women: the mother Zainab, her daughters and daughters-in-law, and 12 granddaughters, including a 22-year-old university graduate, a 19-year-old university student, and two 17-year old women; as well as eight girls between the ages of 4 (Manisa Hussein Qarsifi) and 16, and three boys. The source indicated that eleven children were killed in total. Six men were also recorded in the strike, including four fathers of the named families, and the grandson Ali Youssef Qarsifi, who is described as a soldier in the Lebanese army.

Among those named were Zainab Hussein’s son, First Sergeant Youssef Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, his wife, Sawsan Janbin, and their children, including son Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi and daughters Zainab Youssef al-Qarsifi, Fatima Youssef al-Qarsifi, Rima Youssef al-Qarsifi, and Hawra Youssef al-Qarsifi. Another of Zainab Hussein’s sons, Hussein Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, died with his wife, Zainab Murad, and their daughters, four-year-old Manisa Hussein al-Qarsifi, Benin Hussein al-Qarsifi, and Narjes Hussein al-Qarsifi – it is possible that another of Hussein’s children was also killed, as local source Legal Agency listed six member of Hussein’s direct family as among those killed.

Zainab Hussein’s daughter, Rabab Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, and her husband, Ali Abdul Hussein, were among the deceased. Their children, Jawad Ali Abdul Hussein, Hassan Ali Abdul Hussein, Hussein Ali Abdul Hussein, Hawra Ali Abdul Hussein, and Zahra Ali Abdul Hussein, also were reported killed in the incident.

Another of Zainab Hussein’s daughters, Rima Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, was killed alongside her husband, Ali Najib Zureiq, and their daughters, Zahraa Ali Najib Zureiq and Zainab Ali Najib Zureiq. An additional sibling of Rima and others named Zahraa Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi was also among those reported killed.

Ahmad Amhaz, who was identified as a militant, was also among those reported killed, and was referred to as a “son-in-law” of the Al-Qarsifi family, but it is unclear which daughter of Zainab Hussein he was married to – likely Zahraa Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, as she was referred to as being killed alongside her husband.

First Sergeant Youssef Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi has been classified as a civilian as he was a member of the Internal Security Forces, which is responsible for domestic policing and was therefore not a party to the conflict. Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, a member of the Lebanese Army, has also been classified as a civilian given that the Lebanese Army was not considered party to the conflict at the time of the strike. This will be updated should additional information come to light.

Three individuals reportedly sustained injuries during the incident: Abbas Youssef Qarsifi (in his 20s), Hussein Ali Najib Zureiq (in his 20s), and 10-year-old Ali al-Hadi Mohammed Zureiq.

The reported number of deaths varied among sources. Initial reports on Facebook, including by Ur News Network, reported about 12 killed, while Boutrous and Naji Bouhabib reported about 20 dead and six wounded. Later, the death toll continued to rise, with sources reporting more than 20 deaths. Keserwanvoice reported on Facebook about the death of 23 people, including seven children, while Civil Defense Lebanon reported on Facebook about 24 killed. The highest number reported was by Alhadath, stating that the attack led to the killing of 25 people. Based on the number of names reported as dead, at least 26 people were killed.

Several sources mentioned injuries, though the number differed. Facebook user Naji Bouhabib reported about six wounded, while Civil Defense Lebanon reported about eight people injured. The names of three injured people were provided in the available reports.

Civil Defense Lebanon specified that 13 of those killed and four of those injured were taken to Saydet Martym and Saydet Al Maounat hospitals while four other injuries were treated locally.

Social media tributes highlighted the profound impact of the incident. A picture of Youssef Ali Youssef al-Qarsifi, dressed in a checkered button-down shirt, was posted by several Facebook users. Souraya Solh shared a photograph of Zainab [Youssef] al-Qarsifi, a young woman with dark brown hair on Facebook, adding that Zainab had been planning to travel abroad in two days to meet her fiancé before she was killed.

Several sources shared collages of family pictures showing family members during different events, including at a wedding or on family members’ birthdays. Many young children are depicted in the pictures, including a photo of two young girls who appear to be twins and a picture of two young boys. Pictures shared by Facebook user Hala and Legal Agenda show children drawings of houses and flowers alongside an image of a Pikachu colouring page, all of which seem to have been recovered from the rubble of the home. As Legal Agenda described it, “Above the rubble, after the bodies and remains of the martyrs were removed, the children’s colorful drawings were scattered, some signed with the name of the person who completed the work (Hussein Ali Abdul Hussein, for example), while the pages of the books that the parents had bought for their children who were supposed to start distance learning today, Monday, November 11, 2024, were scattered.”

Several people, including Facebook users Honest Qursifi and Nazih Qursifi, also shared pictures of the funeral showing the bodies of the deceased family members wrapped in shrouds and covered with the flag of Hezbollah. Pictures shared by Twitter/X user @Em__Hamada show the prepared graves of the family, lining one grave next to the other. The many empty graves all positioned next to each other underline how many people of the same family were killed and the impact of the incident on the family.

Photos of the aftermath depicted widespread devastation. Images shared by Adel Awad and other sources revealed the house reduced to rubble, with its roof and walls completely destroyed. Nearby vehicles were also damaged, with shattered windows and twisted metal.

A family friend, Mohammad Ismail, told Annahar News that the family had been sheltering in the building but just two weeks before the strike, Youssef Ali and his brother Hassan had left the building, sparing Hassan, but the day of the strike, Youssef Ali had returned to the building the day of the strike with the family matriarch, Zainab Hussein al-Qarsifi, who had chosen to remain in their hometown previously. However, according to Legal Agency, “About half an hour before the attack on the Qarsifi family, Marwa Noun, the wife of the martyr Mohammad, Hassan’s brother, asked Hassan, her brother-in-law, to take her to her family’s home in the village of Bzion near Almat. The child Ali Al-Hadi Muhammad Qarsifi did not want to accompany his mother Marwa, his sisters Fatima and Rama, and his uncle Hassan, and preferred to stay and play with his cousins ​​and aunts.” Those who left’s lives were spared while Ali Al-Hadi and others were killed and injured.

Legal Agency spoke with Youssef Ali’s brother Hassan Qarsifi (mentioned above), the sole survivor of his siblings, who was sitting at Saydet Al-Maounat Hospital in Jbeil with his nephews and the other survivors of the family, Abbas Youssef Qarsifi, Hussein Ali Najib Zureiq, and Ali al-Hadi Mohammed Zureiq were treated for their injuries, all of which were serious and were being treated in the intensive care unit. All three who survived had been standing in front of the house at the time of the strike. Hassan described the impact that the strike has had on his family: “My mother and all my brothers and sisters and their children, that is, 27 martyrs have gone, nothing is useful anymore, I cannot leave these people, may God keep them alive and keep them for me.”

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to the Israeli military. While some sources, including Communication for digital media in Mount Lebanon and the North, reported about a “massacre committed by the [Israeli] enemy,” others directly spoke about “an Israeli raid” or the house being “targeted by Israel.” According to Adel Awad, the strike occurred “without warning” and reportedly left damage and body parts scattered over 500 meters.