Incident Code
Incident Date
Location
Geolocation
Geolocation
Airwars Assessment
A 44-year-old man named Basem Najeh Saeed al-Saqqa was allegedly shot and killed by the Israeli military in the Al-Satar Al-Sharqi area of Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
In a post announcing his death, the Facebook page for the Al-Saqqa family clarified that he was shot “while inspecting the remains of his home.”
Classmate and friend Rami Shaat Abu Sami mourned his “colleague and classmate throughout all stages of [their] studies,” and remembered him as a “kind-hearted one.”
Abu Najeh al-Saqqa, Basem’s brother, wrote a poem based off his name, as his “name is beautiful.” With this death, Abu Najeh wrote, Basem “left [him] alone.”
Three days later, Abu Najeh al-Saqqa posted in gratitude for “all who shared in our profound grief over the martyrdom of my brother Basem, whether by attending the funeral, the wake, or through social media,” and asked that these well-wishers be protected “from all harm.”
Other sources extended condolences to the family: The Al-Qarara Association for the Development of Women and Children in Rural Society expressed support for their Board Member and Basem’s sister, Duaa al-Saqqa.
A widely-shared photograph of Basem shows him standing on a road, holding a Palestinian flag aloft and flashing a peace sign.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the shooting to the Israeli military.
Assessment Updates
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the area of al Satar al Sharqi (السطر الشرقي) to the north of Khan Younis (خان يونس). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for al Satar al Sharqi are: 31.361143, 34.331208.
Geolocation Observation: Yellow Line