In the early hours of October 11th 2023, seventeen civilians, including six women and three young children, were reported to have been killed and others were injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Al-Naqeeb family home on Salah al-Din Street in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the central region of the Gaza strip.
The number of people reported killed in the alleged airstrike grew in the hours and days following the strike. The Palestinian Information Center initially reported that there were both injuries and deaths as a result of the attack, without releasing specific numbers. Quds Press reported that three people had been killed, as did another X / Twitter user: @ESAL1113788. Sputnik Arabic stated on its website that the Palestinian News Agency had reported that “on Wednesday morning, Israeli warplanes targeted a house belonging to the Al-Naqib family in the Nuseirat camp without warning and levelled it to the ground resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries”.
Over the course of the 11th, family members and friends of the civilians killed in the attack confirmed that the strike had taken place, and began to post lists of the names of those who had died, via Facebook. The individuals who posted lists of the civilians killed included: Abdel Fattah Naqib, Abou Al-Baraa, Ibrahim Qedama, Hany Qedama and Abdul M. Abu Mansour.
Having reviewed these sources and the names contained within them, Airwars was able to identify 17 civilians who were reportedly killed as result of this alleged airstrike: 78 year old Samiha Al-Baba, her son 54 year old Zohir Al Naqeeb, his wife Yusra Abo Qdama, Zohir and Yusra’s son 30 year old Rajoub Al-Naqeeb, Samiha’s other son 57 year old Mohammad Al Naqeeb, his wife (and Yusra’s sister) Faten Abo Qdama, Mohammad and Faten’s daughters 30 year old Samiha Mohammad Al Naqeeb and 16 year old Tasneem Mohammad Al Naqeeb, their sons 22 year old Abdulmajid Mohammad Al Naqeeb, 18 year old Saleh Mohammad Al Naqeeb, 28 year old Mustafa Mohammad Al Naqeeb and 31 year old Rejab Mohammad Al Naqeeb were among those killed. Rejab’s wife 30 year old Hanadi Al Safadi was also killed, along with their daughter 4 year old Faten Rajab Al Naqeeb and son Mohammad Rajab Al Naqeeb. Mustafa’s wife 25 year old Hala Al Akhras was also killed, along with their daughter Haour Mustafa Al Akhras, a one year-old girl.
@GazaMartyrs posted a memorial for Haour, who they specified was one year and four months old, was described as ‘the only child of her mother and father. She was loved by all members of her family, and her laughter was beautiful’. When she was born, her mother Hala wrote that ‘Fifteen days, I don’t know how the days passed so quickly with the most beautiful feeling when Allah honored me and blessed me with the apple of my heart and the delight of my eyes, ‘Hoor,’ welcome to the companion of my soul and my entire refuge… Welcome to the love of my heart and the entire world. Welcome, mama, you have enlightened mama’s heart’.
@GazaMartyrs also posted a memorial for Haour’s mother Hala, describing her as “one of the purest and kindest individuals” and adding that “She graduated from the Faculty of Radio and Television Media at Palestine University in Gaza. She was extremely happy about her graduation and excited to begin her new journey in the field of work.”
Alwatan Voice further stated that the bodies of those killed and the injured were transferred to the Al Awda hospital in Nuseirat camp, whilst specialised crews tried to “extract the rest of the citizens from under the rubble of the house”. Photos showing the rubble of the destroyed residential building were posted online by individuals such as Facebook users Rasha Ismail, Emad J. Abushawiesh, and Ahmed Nofal, as well as X/Twitter user @WWIIIAR0.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
Where possible, Airwars has matched names with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of nearly 7000 victims’ names and ID numbers, released on October 26th.