On Friday October 13th, 2023, a declared Israeli airstrike reportedly killed a company commander in Hamas’ “Nukhba” commando force named Ali al-Qadi together with his wife and their five children in their home in Gaza, allegedly without prior warning.

The attack took the lives of Ali al-Qadi’s wife Sajida Abu Hayya and their five sons: Muhammad Ali al-Qadi, Sajid Ali al-Qadi, Abdul Aziz Ali al-Qadi, Yahya Ali al-Qadi, and Omar Ali al-Qadi. Initially Ramallah News reported the death of four children and a serious injury of a fifth child, but most sources later spoke about the death of five children.

The airstrike that killed Ali al-Qadi was confirmed by the Israeli military. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) wrote on its website: ”Based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, IDF aircraft neutralized Ali Qadi, a company commander in Hamas’ “Nukhba” commando force, who led the brutal terror attack against Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip last weekend (October 7th).“ The IDF posted a video which showed the moment the Israeli Military bombed the home of Ali al-Qadi.

Hespress also quoted an anonymous Hamas official who stated that the late Ali al-Qadi was indeed a militant, describing him as a field commander in the elite force of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Movement. However, there was no official comment on the death of Al al-Qadi from Hamas, as reported by Hespress.

Originally from Ramallah, Ali al-Qadi was imprisoned in 2005 and released in 2011 as part of an exchange deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. According to Israeli news website YnetNews, “Ali al-Qadhi was sentenced to life in prison for 2005 for kidnapping and murder of his employer.” After his release, Ali al-Qadi was deported to the Gaza Strip where he lived with his family until his killing on Friday October 13th, 2023. According to Ynet news, “he continued to engage in terrorism; Last Saturday [07/10/23], he commanded some of the terrorists who participated in Hamas’s murderous attack on Israeli border towns.”

The wider al-Qadi family and the people of Beit Nuba, the al-Qadi’s homeland, published a tribute on Facebook mourning the death of Ali al-Qadi, his wife Sajida Abu Hayya and their five children. The post read: “Today, the people of Beit Nuba, as they mourn the sons and wife of its mujahid and their liberated prisoner son, Ali, the judge deported to the Gaza Strip, also mourn all the sons of the Palestinian people who rose during the repulsion of the aggression (…) and will remain stubborn against his defeated forces.”

Al-Bireh Association also expressed its sympathy on Facebook for the wider al-Qadi family, adding that: “(…) Due to the circumstances the country is going through, the funeral will be held for one day today, Friday, at the Lifta Al-Bireh Association, near Al-Hayat newspaper, after Friday prayers”, and posted a picture of four of the sons of Ali.

A brother of the late Ali al-Qadi, Ayat Alqadi, posted his testimony, mourning the death of his brother’s wife and children and sharing the image of the five smiling sons of Ali, one of them still being an infant.

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.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces, and the Israeli military confirmed the strike that killed Ali al-Qadi and his family.

The exact time and location of the strike are unknown, but based on a Shehab agency tweet, the attack happened in the evening shortly before 11:36 PM.