On October 9th 2023, an alleged strike by the Israeli military resulted in the destruction of the old municipality building of Khan Yunis and the surrounding area. At least three civilians were killed in this attack. Through various social media posts, they were identified as Hani Ghassan Qudyah (19 years old), Shehda Abu Latifa and Wissam al-Daghma (18 years old). A fourth individual, Ahmed Shehdeh Abu Teir (53 years old), was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and was also killed in this incident. The posts noted that prior to this attack, they were fleeing from the east of the Khan Yunis district, with one source adding that 50 others were injured.

When Airwars first published this incident on November 1, 2023, no open sources were found to suggest that Ahmed Shehdeh Abu Teir was a militant. As such, Ahmed was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status‘. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.

However, on May 11, 2026, sarayamirror, a Telegram account associated with PIJ, posted a tribute to Ahmed Abu Teir, naming him as a commander. As such, his civilian status has been updated to militant, and the number of civilians recorded as killed in this incident was changed from four to three.

Social media posts about funerals identified the four men referenced above. A Facebook post by Sharif Shurrab is the only post to mention a fifth casualty. Based on a report by Reuters, it is likely that this death is that of a 4 year old girl named Shahib Abu Rokbah. She was also reported to be fleeing with her family from the east of Khan Yunis district when she was killed. The report by Reuters includes testimony from a volunteer who noted that “they tried to escape death only to find it… They came to find shelter. They were taking refuge next to the stairs where it could have been a safe place. They targeted them and killed them.”

Though two social media posts and @ShehabAgency reported that people were wounded in this incident, no consistent figures were provided. Sharif Shurrab’s post was the only source which noted the number of wounded at 50.

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

Airwars recorded a civilian harm incident the same day resulting in reported civilian harm in an area close to the Grand Mosque, which is adjacent to the old municipality building. As at least one source, Wafa news reports, mentioned several strikes in the same location, this incident has been coded separately as ISP0060. Given the proximity of the locations of both incidents, and the lack of details regarding the victims of ISPT0060, it is possible that some of the casualty figures tracked here overlape. Airwars will update both incidents should new information come to light.

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