On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 10 civilians originally from the town of Qantara, including six women, were killed in an alleged Israeli attack in the south of Lebanon. The details of the incident remain unclear, but reports from multiple sources have identified the victims as members of two interconnected families.

A post by Qantara Municipality contained the names of the nine victims. Among the deceased were members of the Hijazi family, including an elderly father Ali Abdullah Hijazi and his wife Fawzia Fayez al-Shami. Their four children, Hussein Ali Hijazi,  Zain Ali Hijazi, Maryam Ali Hijazi, and Amani Ali Hijazi, also lost their lives in the attack. A post from Fuaad Dirani also mentioned that a “nephew” of Maryam was killed, although this was not mentioned in other local sources found for this incident.

Another family unit, a grandmother, Fatima Abdullah Hijazi (the sister of Ali Abdullah Hijazi), her daughter Khadija Ahmed al-Abd, and her granddaughter Milda Hassan Qadouh were also killed in the incident.

Following the news of the incident, friends and family shared tributes on social media to mourn and honour those who had lost their lives.

Rayan Kdouh remembered the late Milda Qadouh as a calm and reserved young woman, whose beauty radiated both inside and out. He added: “Milda, who asked for martyrdom and loved it, and God answered her pure heart and included her among the martyrs.” He added several images of Milda, a young woman. In one of the images, she is seen holding a birthday cake with her name written on it.

Maryam Ali Hijazi, a student at the Institute of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University, Branch 5, was fondly remembered by a Facebook user Fuaad Dirani. In his tribute, he recalled how Maryam frequently checked in on him, expressing concern for his safety amid challenging conditions. He also praised her for her virtuous character. Fuaad added that Maryam was displaced with her family from the town of Qantara and she was “confident of her imminent return to the town”, but she was killed alongside her mother, sister, brother, and nephew.

In another post by Janob, Amani Ali Hijazi was mourned with a message: “It is difficult for us, Amani, to mourn you. We will always miss you.” He added that Amani was a volunteer for the Islamic Health Authority and added an image where she was remembered on behalf of the organisation Islamic Health Authority: “Her sacrifice will remain engraved in our memory and will be a source of inspiration for generations to come.” The Islamic Health Authority is a civil defense group that is associated with Hezbollah. While Hezbollah operates an active militant wing, their political presence is also deeply enmeshed within the state, providing social and organisational services, primarily in the Shia’a majority areas in Southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the suburbs of Beirut. With this context in mind, and given that there are no indications of militant activities, the presence of the Islamic Health Authority cannot be used to determine if an individual or community is affiliated with Hezbollah’s armed wing, or that there was a militant presence in the area.

Many other tributes reflected faith, offering solace through religious teachings. Posts shared verses from the Quran, including the reminder: “And do not think that those who were killed in the way of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision.”

Although the sources did not indicate the age of the victims, the photo collage shared by social media users showed only adult civilians.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces. As at least one source referred to the attack as a “raid”, this incident has been classified as an airstrike.

The local time of the incident is unknown.