During the evening of Saturday, October 14th, 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Al-Herbawi family home and the homes adjacent to it in the Al-Fakhoura neighborhood west of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip reportedly killed at least 34 civilians belonging to at least five different families, including at least 12 women and 11 children, and injured between 80 and more than 100 people. Among the victims was a 49-year old Palestinian woman Suhaila Masbah Abu Saada (Umm Fathi) who was killed alongside her seven children and two grandchildren, one of whom was only four months old. One of her daughters had her wedding just a day before her death.

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 has been reclassified as a declared Israeli strike, rather than a likely one.

The Palestinian Information Center’s Twitter account (@PalinfoAr) posted videos showing the direct aftermath of the attack, the rescue efforts amidst rubble and dust and bodies of people carried on stretchers.

IQ news reported quoting a Hamas statement that the massacre in Al-Fakhoura neighborhood “claimed the lives of about 27 martyrs and more than 80 injured civilians.” A Facebook user Khalil Ziadeh reported that Al-Herbawi family home and the homes adjacent to it were bombed, resulting in “more than 27 martyrs and 100 injured people,” sharing a video of the rescue efforts where injured and killed victims were pulled out the rubble and carried on stretchers. Orient Post later wrote that there were more than 100 injured. According to Wafa news, the killed and injured civilians were transferred to the Indonesian Hospital in the neighboring town of Beit Lahia. Wafa news as well as a Facebook user Hamdi L. Behairy shared the shocking images of the injured small children, some of them crying and some of them carried on stretchers to the hospital.

Social media tributes by family relatives and friends helped Airwars to identify the names of 34 people killed and four injured civilians belonging to the Abu Saada, Abu Aita, Al-Herbawi, Hammad, and al-Harash families. According to a Facebook post by Mahmoud Abu Znada media platform, members of the Al-Balbisi and Qadas families were also killed, but further details about them are unknown.

Abu Saada family

49-year Suhaila Masbah Abu Saada (Um Fathi) was killed alongside her seven children and two grandchildren, namely, her son Fathi Mufid Abu Saada, her six daughters Lina Mufid Abu Saada, Iman Mufid Abu Saada, Islam Mufid Abu Saada (wife of Abdullah Hammad), Israa Mufid Abu Saada, Hadeel Mufid Abu Saada, and Hala Mufid Abu Saada, as well as a daughter of Lina, Alina Muhammad Abu Saada, and a 4-month old son of Islam Mahmoud Abdullah Hammad.

According to the Twitter/X tribute by “Martyrs of Gaza”, Suhaila Abu Saada became an orphan at the age of five. She was a widow of Mufid Abu Saada, who was killed in an Israeli strike in the vicinity of a UN facility in 2009. She raised her nine children (eight daughters and one son) alone. Two of her daughters survived the attack.

“Martyrs of Gaza” wrote about the late Suhaila that “she dedicated her life to raising and educating all her children. Despite all the difficulties and challenges she faced, she was both the mother and father figure, as well as the warm homeland for her children. She possesses a social personality and is loved by everyone who knows her.”  Two images of the smiling Suhaila in white and black hijabs were also shared.

Suhalia’s cousin Nehad Awad described her cousin as a “persevering, struggling, and courageous mother”.  He also shared the fact that the late daughter of Suhalia, an engineer named Hadeel Mufid Abu Saada, was a bride whose wedding happened just a day before her death. Her other daughter Israa was a diligent schoolgirl who dreamt of studying architecture, while Iman was a kind and cheerful girl.

Two children of Suhalia, her son Fathi and her daughter Iman, were 21-year-old twins. The Twitter/X account of “Martyrs of Gaza” in its tribute named “The Twin Martyrs” described the engineer Fathi as “a calm, gentle, intelligent young man, dedicated to his studies and respectful to his mother and sisters.” Fathi dreamt of opening an engineering office together with his sisters Hadeel and Israa who were also engineers, but this dream was left unfulfilled. The last words he uttered were, “Alhamdulillah… May Allah have mercy on us… Pray for us.”

Iman was described by Martyrs of Gaza as “a kind-hearted girl who loved life, worked diligently in her studies and was a freelance marketer in the field of digital marketing”. It was written that she possessed a leadership personality and a beloved positive energy that touched everyone who knew her. The last words of Iman were “Blessed are the martyrs. I wish to see myself as a martyr while wrapped in a shroud.”

A surviving husband of Suhalia’s daughter Lina Mohammad Abu Saada shared his grief over losing his wife, daughter and cousins on Facebook, writing that “May God have mercy on you all and he accepts you as martyrs.” He also shared an image of a small girl aged approximately one or two years old, apparently his deceased daughter Alina. A brother of Suhaila, Omm Saoud Abu Saada, also shared several images of the small smiling Alina, calling her the “joy of my heart and my pearl”.

Suhalia’s sister Samah Dawoud Ahmed Abed Abu Saada (Umm Al-Abd Al-Shalfouh) was also killed in the attack alongside her children – two daughters Nada Abu Saada and Malak Abu Saada, and two sons Abboud Abu Saada and Hamoud Abu Saada.

A brother of Suhaila, Abed al Rahman, wrote a heartfelt testimony on Facebook being “in widespread sadness, in deep pain inside”, mourning the loss of his two sisters and 13 more family members. He called the late Suhaila “my sister and second mother, the crown of my head”, her son Fathi his “fifth brother”, her daughter Israa “the light of my eyes”, and Samah’s daughter Nada as “closest to his heart”.  Also Suhaila and her sister Samah were mentioned in the Facebook tributes by Amal Yousef Aziz and Mohammed Aziz. Amal wrote that the late Samah was “her beloved aunt”.

Abu Aita family

A Facebook post by Gehad Abu Yazan reported about the tragedy in the Abu Aita family. Gehad’s grandfather, Haji Hamed Abu Aita (Abu Haled) was killed alongside his 11-year old grandson Ilyas Tareq Hamed Abu Aita and two granddaughters (children), Tala Saed Abu Aita and Layan Ra’ed Abu Aita as well as his daughter-in-law Mountaha Abu Aita. Hamed’s two sons Tareq Hamed Abu Aita and Saed Ahmad Abu Aita as well as Tareq’s daughter Joud Tareq Abu Aita were injured in the attack. Gehad shared a picture of his late grandfather – an elderly man in a suit and a red-black tie.

Al-Herbawi family

Gehad Abu Yazan also wrote about the strikes against the homes of his uncles, Wajih Al-Herbawi and Abu Hassan Al-Herbawi, which resulted in the death of Muhammad Tahseen Al-Herbawi, Abdel Azim Wajih Al-Herbawi and Sherine Al-Herbawi (Al-Ashqar). He also said that there were still missing people under the rubble, and the injured person was in a serious condition (it is unclear how many injuries he is referring to).

Hammad family

The Hammad family was connected with the Abu Saada family through Abdullah Hammad (not among the victims) whose wife Islam Mufid Abu Saada and child Mahmoud Abdullah Hammad were among those killed (mentioned above). The extended Hammad family also suffered additional losses in the attack. A woman Asmaa Jamal Hammad was killed along with her small sons, Hamza Hammad and Mohammad Hammad, while her husband Ahmad Hammad (Abu Hamza) was seriously injured. Asmaa’s cousin Baha Hammad wrote his condolence message on Facebook, sharing an image of two small smiling boys, Hamza and Mohahammad. A childhood friend of Asmaa, Ðuaa Madhoun, also wrote her tribute to the deceased woman.

A 34-year old Mohammad Shukri Hammad Hammad was killed alongside his daughters, Islam Hammad and Malak Hammad.

Al-Harash family

Dozens of martyrs were reported by Basil Al-Harsh in the house of his uncle Ziad Al-Harash located in the Al-Fakhoura area, among them his sons and his grandchildren. Abu Muhammad wrote in a Facebook post that his mother-in-law Hajja/Nidal Al-Harash was killed alongside her son, Mahmoud Ziad Al-Harash and Abu Muhammad’s sister Amal Al-Harash Abu Ghaben. Among the victims killed in the attack was also the wife of his cousin, Doaa Al-Harash Hejaz and his daughter, Diana Al-Harash. There were still missing women and children under the rubble, according to him.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. According to Wafa news, the airstrike happened without prior warning.

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.