On October 8, 2023, at around 12:30 p.m., the Al Zaneen family house located near Abdel Azzam Mosque in Izbet Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, was allegedly bombed by an Israeli warplane. At least 21 members of the large Al Zaneen family were killed across three generations: 66-year old Jamil Hassan Muhammad Al Zaneen (Abu Muhammad) and his wife Salma Hussein Muhammad Al Zaneen, together with their three sons, Dr. Mohammed Jameel Al Zaneen, Hussam Jameel Al Zaneen and Hamza Jameel Al Zaneen, and their sons’ wives and children.

The large four-storey house housed around thirty people overall, and was reported to be completely destroyed. Initially Wattan news reported that nine members of the Al Zaneen family were killed, and some were wounded in a critical condition. But later most sources reported that 21 people, including 11 children (five boys and six girls) and five women, were killed. Their remains were transferred to the Indonesian hospital as they were removed from the rubble by Palestinian medical and civil defense teams, according to the Defense for Children International Palestine. In total, Airwars identified the names of 22 victims from Al Zaneen family through local reporting and relatives obituaries: 12 children, five women and five men killed in the bombing. Only one source, @fidaazaanin, also recorded the death of Jamil Hassan Muhammad Al Zaneen (Abu Muhammad). As such, Airwars estimated that between 21 to 22 civilians were killed in the airstrike.

Dr. Mohammed Jameel Al Zaneen was one of the doctoral student graduates at the University of Islamic Sciences Malaysia USIM. The Malaysia Branch of the General Union of Palestine Students honoured his memory in a dedicated post and extended its deepest condolences and sympathy to Al Zaneen family.

Dr. Al Zaneen was on vacation with his family in the Gaza Strip at the time of the attack. His wife Kholoud Muhammad Hassan Al Zaneen and their four sons – a twelve-year old Hasan Muhammad Jamil Al Zaneen, a nine-year old Obaida Muhammad Jamil Al Zaneen, a seven-year old Khaled Muhammad Jamil Al Zaneen, and four-year old Amr Muhammad Jamil Al Zaneen lost their lives in this tragic incident, survived only by one son.

Maruwan Alshireedi remembers that just the day before the attack the five sons of Dr. Mohammed Al Zaneen were reciting and memorizing the Qur’an with him. He wrote in a heartfelt testimony: “The eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, and people are sad to hear this news. Abaqa Biladi, a teacher of the two older Al Zaneen’s sons, wrote in a Facebook post: “Khaled and Obaida were my polite and intelligent students”.

Another son of Salma Hussein Muhammad Al Zaneen, Hussam Jameel Al Zaneen, killed in the strike as highlighted above, will be remembered for his “beautiful qualities, good morals, and unprecedented calm”, according to the Facebook testimony by his friend Qasem Abo Sido. He was killed together with his wife Heba Ismail Hussein Al Zaneen, their twelve-year old son Mouamen Hussam Jamil Zaneen and their five daughters – Misk Hussam Jamil Al Zaneen, a nine-year old Nour Hussam Jamil Al Zaneen, a seven-year old Zaina Hussam Jamil Al Zaneen, a five-year old Mais Hussam Jamil Al Zaneen, and a one year-old Hala Hussam Jamil Al Zaneen.

Also killed in the strike were Diana Mahmoud Muhammad Atta Al Zaneen, Risala Al Zaneen, and her two daughters, a five-year old Salma Omar Jameel Al Zaneen and a three-year old Balsam Omar Jameel Al Zaneen. Diana and Risala were reported to be the daughters-in-law of of Jamil al Zaneen. A post from Mohannad Mustafa Al Zaneen also indicated that Risala was pregnant at the time she was killed. Their cousin Anas Muhammad Hassan Al Zaneen was also among the victims.

Journalist Hani Abu Razouk documented a poignant clip of a woman from the Al Zaneen family crying after more than 20 members of her family were killed. She said: “All of them were martyred. All of them died. All of them went. More than 20 people in the house. They bombed them without warning.”

The photojournalist shared another clip of a woman crying for her daughter after she was killed in the bombing, saying, “My daughter is gone… she’s gone, for God’s sake, tell me if she is alive!”

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.