On October 12th 2023, it was reported that at least four civilians, including at least one young child, were killed and up to ten others injured after an alleged airstrike on the Al-Zimili family home, east of Rafah. Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. Five other individuals were killed – four of whom have been identified as militants and one who has been recorded with a ‘contested’ civilian status.

Manal Al-Zamili was reportedly killed alongside her three sons Nael Atef Al-Zamili (a militant), Muhammad Atef Al-Zammili (a militant), and Saleh Atef Al-Zamili (a militant), and her daughter Amal Atef Al-Zamili. Nael was reportedly trapped under the rubble of the house, while Saleh reportedly died of injuries sustained in the bombing some time after the attack. His death was announced on October 20th by Safa.ps.

Manal’s husband, Atef Saleh Al-Zamli, was said to have been killed in the 2014 war after a bomb hit the ambulance he was driving. An article from saraya.ps, the website associated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), noted that Atef was member of the group’s military ambulance brigade.

Manal’s daughter Amal was killed alongside her young son (name unknown). Suhaila Al-Zamili (Al-Najjar) was also reportedly killed, the relationship to the family is unknown. The brothers Wael Nasser Sheikh Eid (a militant) and Waseem Nasser Sheikh Eid (contested civilian status) were also killed in the alleged airstrike.

When Airwars first published this incident on December 1, 2023, no open sources were found to suggest that Nael, Muhammad, Saleh, or Wael were militants. As such, the four men was recorded as civilians. 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.

On January 19, 2025, Facebook account Sheikh Al-Eid Al-Zamili clan gathering shared a video in memory of Wael, describing him as a “trainer of fighters and lecturer at the military college in the southern Gaza Strip. The video shows a man, whose face is covered, in different combat training scenarios, including handling weapons.

Between May and July 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)’s armed wing, published hundreds of tributes. Nail, Muhammad, and Saleh were among those commemorated by the PIJ and remembered as militants.

In light of these social media posts, Airwars updated the four men’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident accordingly.

While Airwars did not find sourcing to definitively say that Waseem Nasser Sheikh Eid was also a militant, an Instagram post shared by moataz.abu.zayed8 remembered Waseem and his brother Wael as “Commanders”. While the term is used to refer to a number of civilian roles, ie. in a police/security and civil defense context, it is also used to refer to individuals who held combat roles.

Facebook user “Separation from loved ones” has posted extensively in memory of all five men killed in this incident. One post from December 29, 2023 showed Waseem seated next to Wael and included the line “Twins of Jihad and Martyrdom💔”. Another post from October 11, 2025 included a collage of all five men and included the caption “group of loved ones whom jihad brought together and death in the path of God separated.”

While these posts suggest that Waseem may have been involved in militant activity like the four other men, the references to jihad and martyrdom are not definitive in tying someone to militant activity. As such, Waseem’s status has been recorded as contested. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Initial reports stated that there were four martyrs and a number wounded. A Facebook post by Muhammad Al-Jamal added that 10 people had been injured. Although some sources quoted three had been martyred, nine names were provided. Where names were mentioned, Airwars was able to find matching IDs in the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of names released on October 26th.

Abdullah Abu Nidal noted that the house was located behind the eastern cemetery, near the Al-Bahabsa Mosque.

On October 9th, 2024 the Airwars Investigations Unit, along with Sky News, published an investigation geolocating and matching airstrike footage released by the Israeli military with incidents in the Airwars archive. In total, Airwars’ team identified 17 strikes leading to civilian harm from the first month of the war, of which the Israeli military itself had published footage. This strike was among the 17. As such this incident was reclassified as a declared Israeli strike, rather than a likely one.