Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0186

Incident date

October 13, 2023

Location

منزل الأسير المحرر المبعد علي القاضي, the deported freed prisoner Ali Al-Qadi, Gaza Strip, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

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.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

Sajida Abu Hayya زوجة الاسير المحرر ساجدة ابو هيا
30 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 804573582
Muhammad al-Qadi محمد علي القاضي
male killed
Sajid al-Qadi ساجد علي القاضي
male killed
Abdul Aziz al-Qadi عبدالعزيز علي القاضي
male killed
Yahya al-Qadi يحيى علي القاضي
male killed
Omar Ali al-Qadi عمر علي القاضي
2 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 804573582

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (5 children1 woman)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Known belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bayt Nuba facebook
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Raed Mohammed facebook
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ramallah News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ayat Alqadi facebook
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Albireh Association facebook
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Nabd news
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Nabd news
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

IDF and ISA Forces Target a Hamas “Nukhba” Commando Forces Commander Who Led the Terrorist Attack Against Israeli Communities Near Gaza
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). In 2005, Ali was apprehended after kidnapping and murdering Israeli civilians and was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

Media
from belligerent (1) [ collapse]

  • Attached is a video of the strike on Ali Qad

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (5 children1 woman)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Known belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (15) [ collapse]