Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least 11 civilians, all members of the Hamiya family, were reported killed after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the town of Taraya in the Bekaa region of southern Lebanon on September 23rd, 2024.
While one source alleged “others were wounded” and another claimed “50” had been injured, it is unclear whether these injuries occurred in the same strike, or happened throughout the day. This high injury count has been included in the upper Airwars range only. Names of the injured were not made publicly available. The strike was reported as “targeting two neighboring houses.”
From the Hamiya family, Nihad Muhammad Ali Abdullah Hamiya was killed with his wife Hajj Faqih. Another relative, Qasim Bahij Muhammad Ali Abdullah Hamiya was killed, as was Hussein Muhammad Ali Khalil Hamiya. Hussein’s wife, Marwa Imad al-Khatib, was also killed, as was their son, Muhammad Hussein Hamiya. Duraid Hosni Hamiya was killed with his two daughters, Latifa Duraid Hosni Hamiya and Ghazala Duraid Hosni Hamiya. A child named Hosni Ibn Ghassan Bou Hassan Hamiya, and Hasna Muhammad Ali Abdullah Hamiya were also reported killed.
Facebook user Souad Ayoub, writing on behalf of “the administration of Shamstar Ideal School” grieved the loss of its “honorable educator” Ghazala Duraid Hamiyah, attaching a smiling photograph of the teacher.
Friend Aly Zaiter, remembering Qasim, asked that “God have mercy on [his] soul….By the life of God,” Zaiter wrote, “my heart hurts!” Attached was a screenshot from a memorial video honouring Qasim. The video, shared by other mourners, opens with Qasim singing a prayer (“To God we belong and to Him we shall return,” from Sarah al-Baqarah 156). The video, compiled of clips, shows Qasim with sheep and dogs, indicating he may have been a shepherd.
Other posts remembering Duraid Hamiya referred to him as “Hajj”, indicating that he may have completed the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. An elderly man, friends remembered trying to dissuade Duraid from smoking. Karam Hamié spoke to these efforts: “I tried to discourage him from smoking his cigarette, and he had just returned from the hospital. He smiled after a sudden coughing fit, then he lit his cigarette and smiled again, saying: ‘Nothing is worth it, I only have a few days left.’” Karam remembered “jokingly” taking a photograph of Duraid, cigarette in hand, but grieved that “he really did not stay for long, so [he] left today with his two daughters, his daughters’ sons, and others.”
A Facebook page for the town of Kafr Zabad in Central Bekaa remembered Marwa and her family. Considering her a “daughter,” the town indicated that funeral plans were being set. A photograph was attached of Marwa hugging an infant, likely her son Muhammad.
Relative Ragheb Sulaiman Hamiyeh posted a video of funeral prayers and proceedings on Facebook. Ragheb also posted memorial videos of each of his killed family members, asking that “God have mercy” on them. Posts from the “Hamwand tribe in Iraq and Kurdistan” also sent condolences “to the Hamwand family in Lebanon”.
In one photograph compilation of the deceased, a young boy – possibly Hosni Ibn Ghassan Bou Hassan Hamiya – is seen holding what appears to be a gun. However, given the age of the child and the context provided by the sources and in wider context of the conflict, Airwars researchers deem it insufficient evidence at this time to link the individual to an armed group.
Amongst memorial posts, there was reference to a “Colonel Abu Shehab” made by Facebook user Ragheb sulaiman hamiyeh, but this descriptor was not otherwise connected to any of the named individuals in the incident. Beyond the image of a young boy with a weapon mentioned above, there were no mentions of militancy or allegations of militant status. Airwars has included an estimated belligerent range of 0-1 to account for this uncertainty.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (11)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the town of Tarya (طاريّا), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.982828, 36.022786. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (79) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (30) [ collapse]
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Source: Souad ayoub -
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Source: Ali zaheer hamiyeh -
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Source: Ahmed hamieh -
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Source: Hassan ali rameh hamiya -
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Source: Mounir hm -
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Source: Taria city -
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Source: Aly zaiter -
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Source: Aly zaiter -
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Source: Ali zaheer hamieh -
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Source: Karam hamie -
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Source: Bekaa news -
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Source: Barelias families -
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Source: Hajeh nawzad -
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Source: Hajeh nawzad -
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Source: Hajeh nawzad -
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Source: Hozihamawand -
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Source: Hozihamawand -
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