In the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, at least 40 identified civilians, including 11 members of the al-Ashqar family and eight members of the al-Wardeh family, were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the two houses in Jabalia al-Badad in the Northern Gaza Strip. Among the victims killed in the airstrike were at least six women and at least fourteen children. The number of injured is unknown, but at least two children and a woman were injured.

Photos of body bags and deceased and injured civilians have circulated on social media. Shehab Agency posted a picture of the funeral of al-Ashqar family members, where eight bodies wrapped in white cloth, among them two children’s bodies, can be seen.

Sources on social media helped to identify the names of the civilians who were killed in the strike, belonging to different families.

al-Ashqar family

Within the al-Ashqar family, most of the victims were women and children. Muhammad Ahmed al-Ashqar (Abu Ahmed) was killed alongside his wife, 24-year-old Shaima Iyad Musa Al-Ashqar, and their twin three-year-old sons,  Yaman Muhammad al-Ashqar and Yamen Muhammad al-Ashqar. Among the victims killed in the strike were also a 60-year-old woman, Hanan Muhammad al-Ashqar, and a 29-year-old woman, Asma Ahmed Sabhi Tanbura, along with her daughter, four-year-old Dhia Saeed Anan Tanboura. A 25-year-old woman, Shaima Iyad Musa al-Ashqar, was also killed, as was a 16-year-old girl, Israa Ahmed Subhi al-Ashqar, and a seven-year-old girl, Batoul Murad Ismail Yassin (al-Ashqar).

Initially, the post by Mohammed Zidan mentioned only eight names of the victims from the al-Ashqar family, but the later testimonies contained three additional names.

Muhammad Ahmed al-Ashqar (Abu Ahmed) was remembered in a Facebook tribute by his friend Abu Hamza Hajo, sharing the images of the middle-aged man with a grey beard.

Abu Wardeh

The Abu Wardeh family also has suffered significant losses, consisting mostly of women and children. Among the killed family members were a 28-year-old man, Wassem Ahmed Hasan Abu Wardeh, a 28-year-old woman, Basma Ramadan Muhammma Abu Warda, an 11-year-old girl, Amal Muhammad Saleh Abu Wardeh, and four boys – 4-year-old Karam Wissam Ahmed Abu Wardeh,  2-year-old Ahmed Muhammad Saleh Abu Warda, 5-year-old Juma Muhammad Saleh Abu Wardeh, and 9-year-old Ayman Wissam Ahmad Abu Wardeh.

al-Tanani family

The al-Tanani family lost 29-year-old Abdel Fattah Samir al-Tanani, who was a militant within Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, which is the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). As such, Abdel Fattah has been recorded as a militant, not a civilian. Abdel Fattah was killed along with his wife, 25-year-old Baraa Fayez Ibrahim al-Tanani, and his brother, 24-year-old journalist Abdul Rahman Samir al-Tanani. A son of Abdel and Baraa, whose name is unknown, as well as Abdul Rahman’s son Mohammed, were injured. Abdul Rahman’s wife suffered fractures that caused her a permanent disability.

Abdul Rahman al-Tanani was a Palestinian freelance journalist and a social media publisher for the local radio Zaman FM. According to CPJ, he was in the camp after he was displaced with his wife and son from their home in the Tawam area.

“Abdel Rahman’s mission in the radio was as a new media journalist, publishing via the website and social media pages, and of course, when he was martyred, he was still at work because he was martyred after about 11 days of the war,” said Rami Al-Sharafi, director general of Zaman FM.

According to Shireen website, Abdul Rahman worked for Zaman and Sawt al-Shaab radio stations, in addition to several other media outlets.
He had only been married for a year and a few months when he was martyred, leaving behind his wife and son, Mohammed, physically injured by the bombing and spiritually wounded by his loss.

The last thing he posted on his account was: “If we die, remember us. Don’t let us be numbers.”

A brother of the late Abdel, Ahmed Tannan, wrote a heartfelt tribute to his relatives: “I mourn my brother, the joy of my heart, a piece of my heart, and the brother of my soul, my brother, companion, friend, and lover, Abdel Fattah al-Tanani, his wife Baraa Fayez al-Tanani, and my companion, lover, and friend, my cousin, Abdul Rahman al-Tanani.”

He attached the image of the two cousins, one of them in a Palestinian scarf.

Watan E Tanani and Ãhmad Ãbu Ãdham also mourned the death of the two cousins and posted their pictures. Osama Al-Tanani wrote: “Sorry, Abdel Fattah, yesterday was the last contact between you and me, and you were telling me that we were victorious and steadfast. This is what remains of your family, my friend”, attaching an image of their injured son with blood on his clothes and body.

al-Hassi family

Among the victims from the al-Hassi family, social media sources mentioned a 44-year-old woman, Howaida Ahmed Hassan al-Hassi, a 60-year-old man, Rizq Mohammed Nimr al-Hassi, an 18-year-old girl, Haifa Rajab Ahmed al-Hassi, a 22-year-old man, Ahmed Hatem Muhammad Al-Hassi, and two small two-year-old boys – Hatem Ahmed Hatem al-Hassi and Rajab Ahmed Hatem al-Hassi.

Gharib family

A young man, 35-year-old Thaer Subhi Theyab Gharib, was killed alongside his one-year-old son, Ahmed Thaer Subhi Gharib. He was mentioned in a number of social media posts by his relatives and friends mourning his death.

Ahmed Aita Abu al-Joud posted the graphic image of the dead bodies of Thaer and his son Ahmed, wrapped in a white cloth with traces of blood, writing that, “The precious Thaer Gharib is a martyr.” Thaer’s brother-in-law, Muhammad Ibn Sheikh Ismail, also posted on Facebook shocking photos of Thaer and Ahmed after their death and wrote a heartfelt tribute: “And do not think that those who were killed in the cause of God are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for. My sister’s husband, Thaer Gharib, and my nephew, Ahmed Thaer Gharib.”

Abu Nedal Krezim shared his grief over the loss of his lifelong friend, colleague, and his “brother whom his mother did not give birth to” and posted pictures where he was still alive and smiling, in front of a car with Palestinian flags in one of the pictures. In one picture, Thaer can be seen with his small smiling son Ahmed.

al-Kahlout family

48-year-old Shaker Marzouk Shaker al-Kahlout was killed alongside his wife, who remains unnamed, and their four children. The sources mentioned a four-year-old son, Adam Shaker Marzouk al-Kahlout, and an 11-year-old niece, Sarah Hassan Marzouk al-Kahlout, who had been killed. The death of this family was mourned in a Facebook post by Kenan, who wrote that they were his neighbours and also shared an image of the late Shaker, a man in a red T-shirt, taking a picture in nature.

Airwars researchers found the names of the children of Shaker that were killed in this incident in the records of Shireen Monitor, a Palestinian organisation documenting names of civilians killed – a seven-year-old boy, Abdullah Shaker Marzouq Al-Kahlout, a nine-year-old daughter, Malak Shaker Marzouq Al-Kahlout, and a ten-year-old daughter, Raghad Shaker Marzouq Al-Kahlout, who was from the same family as the victims. Their middle names suggest that they were children of Shaker Marzouk.  One of the sources on social media suggested that Shaker was killed with all his children.

Airwars researchers found five further names of civilians that may have been killed in this incident in the records of Genocide in Gaza (GIGaza) website also has a list of the names of “martyrs” from Israeli forces which includes the name of the victim, their age, their date of death, and the “circumstances of martyrdom”. Three children – a one-year-old Sally Hassan Marzouq Al-Kahlout, a one-year-old Siham Ibrahim Abdel Karim Al-Kahlout, and an eight-year-old Hazem Hassan Marzouq Al-Kahlout, – and two women – 39-year-old Afat Zain Rabah Al-Kahlout and 42-year-old Hind Abdel Karim Abdel Rahim Al-Kahlout were reported as killed on October 18, 2023.  One of the women, Afat or Hind, may have been he wife of Shaker, but there is no information on who exactly. While these victims are from the same family as the other victims, it was not explicitly mentioned anywhere that they were killed in this strike. The location mentioned was not specific enough to allow Airwars to confidently link these names to this incident, and as such, they will not be included in the victims’ list, though this will be updated should more information emerge.

The website “Palestinians are not numbers!” contained a profile of the ten-year-old Raghad Shaker Marzouq Al-Kahlout, mentioning that she was a UNRWA student and she had been killed in her sleep with her entire family, parents and siblings. The profile had a photo of young Raghad, who was standing against a wall, wearing an academic hat, and holding a certificate in her hands.

al-Mutawq family

18-year-old Mustafa Nour al-Deen Ahmed al-Mutawq was killed along with 24-year-old relative Muhammad Yusuf  Sabri al-Mutawq. Mahmoud al-Kahlot dedicated a Facebook post to the “beloved” Muhammad Yusuf al-Mutawq, sharing an image of a young smiling bearded man in a suit. Muhammad was also remembered in the posts by Omar King and Muhammad Farah.

Other victims

Among the other victims listed in social media testimonies were a 33-year-old man, Muhammad Abdullah Abdul Rahman Asalia, a 35-year-old man, Muhammad Jamal Mustafa Hassouna, a 24-year-old man, Zakaria Saeed Ahmed Sha’ban, as well as an 8-year-old girl, Aya Nidal Akram Abu Laila.

Ahmed Asalia mourned the death of his brother Muhammad Asalia, sharing his image where a young man in a grey shirt can be seen, and putting his grief into words:

“Those I love are gone

Those with whom the world is not sweet are gone

Those whom the heart adores are gone

Those who left the heart torn apart are gone.”

In another post, he shared an image of the dead Muhammad’s face covered with blood and dust.

Where possible, the names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released eight lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the first “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on October 26, 2023.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. According to the post by Kenan, the attack happened without prior warning.