Airwars assessment
On Sunday, October 15th 2023, at least five civilian members of the Abu Mustafa family, including three children and a young man, were killed, and at least four others were injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a family home in the al-Amal neighbourhood in Khan Yunis, Gaza strip.
Initial reporting from Shehab Agency stated one civilian had been killed and that others injured were transferred to Nasser Hospital. Reporting also stated that a search “is underway for missing people under the rubble.” The death toll was later updated to three, with four others injured in the bombing. Motaz Press stated that “a number of injured people, including a paramedic, died during the rescue” efforts, while Al Mayadeen News reported that there were a “large number of martyrs and wounded” as a result of the bombing.
Among those initially reported as injured were Ibrahim Majed Abu al-Atta, and the child Baraa Majid Abu Mustafa, with a video shared of their arrival to the Nasser Hospital. They later succumbed to their injuries, with the Palestinian Information Center sharing their names among the list of those killed in the strike – Majed Abu Mustafa Abu al-Atta, his wife Hanan Salem Abu Mustafa (48), their sons Ibrahim Majed Abu al-Atta (22) and Wajid Majed Abu Mustafa (13), their daughters Baraa Majed Abu Mustafa (9) and Thanaa Majed Abu Mustafa (6). The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified Baraa as being 25 years old and Thanaa as being 17.
Sources including Al Jazeera shared images and videos such as the efforts to rescue children trapped underneath the rubble, and of the bodies of those killed wrapped in shrouds being transported away.
Friends and colleagues mourned the loss on social media, with the Youth Safe Home Center posting a tribute to Ibrahim, sharing a photo of him – a smiling, young bearded man. They called him a “colleague in humanitarian and community work”, who also entertained children in games to relieve them from psychological trauma and stress, adding that his sister “was suffering from kidney failure.” A user on social media, Majeddiyab, shared an image of Ibrahim saying “May God have mercy on you, Mustafa. Yesterday he was with us and his smile never left him despite the pain of the country.” Twitter/X user @feraasemad referred to the killed Majid Abu Mustafa as “Colonel” – it is unclear if he was a militant.
All names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces. According to the Youth Safe Home Center, the bombing occurred without warning.
Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (5)
Summary
Sources (25) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (30) [ collapse]
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