Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0353

Incident date

October 18, 2023

Location

جوار مقبرة النصيرات, Vicinity of Nuseirat cemetery, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.450833, 34.393056 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In the evening on October 18th 2023, between four and nine members of the al-Nadi family – including a journalist and at least two women – were killed and others were wounded in an alleged Israeli airstrike on their family home near the Nuseirat Camp cemetery, in the Gaza Strip.

Safa news correspondents alleged that “violent Israeli raids” had been carried out on the al-Nadi home. Amad Palestine news, along with other local news sources, corroborated the information, and stated that four civilians had been killed in the alleged bombing. Users on social media, Samaa Bismam and Haitham Abu Muaz later updated the death toll to seven and to nine respectively.

According to news sources including Safa, and social media sources, one of the civilians killed in the alleged strike was the journalist and director of Al-Aqsa TV, Sameeh al-Nadi (55). Alaa Sami, a relative posted to social media “What a heartache, my uncle, Sameeh al-Nadi, died.” Al Shaikh Abdul Ra`auf shared an image of Sameeh, a smiling, middle aged man, saying “The martyrdom of the son of the club family in Palestine/Journalist Samih al-Nadi, director of Al-Aqsa TV, was martyred in the….bombing of the Gaza Strip this evening.” @channeldraw on Twitter/X shared a drawing of Sameeh’s face with the caption “A journalist and director for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, al-Nady was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Palestinian press agency Safa.”

In a series of Facebook posts, Wahaa Taha, Hanan Elnady and Heba al-Nadi all reported that two of their aunts had been killed along with at least four other people in the alleged strike. Wahaa Taha and Heba al-Nadi wrote on Facebook that their aunts, Shafa al-Nadi (63) and Noha al-Nadi (54), had been killed. They also reported that one of their uncles, and two of their cousins died during the incident, along with a cousin’s three-year-old daughter. Hanan El Nady and Omar El Nady both alleged that the strike occurred at dawn, with Hanan adding that “many of the martyrs” were “still under the rubble” and praying “O Lord, have mercy on them with your mercy and heal the wounded among them” – the precise number of those wounded remains unclear. Omar stated that “nothing is known about the rest of them under the rubble.”

Abu Mahmoud shared an image of Shafa al-Nadi, a smiling, middle-aged woman in a hijab, with the caption “On this day, we bid farewell to the martyrdom of the patient and compassionate mother, my dear mother-in-law, Shafa al-Nadi, may God have mercy on her and grant her the highest paradise… the eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, and we are saddened by your departure.”

Where possible, 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 strikes to Israeli forces.

The incident occured around dawn.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Samih Al-Nadi سميح النادي
55 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 932096878
Shifa Al-Nadi شفا النادي
63 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 932096845
Noha Al-Nadi نهى النادي
54 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 932096886

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of Nuseirat cemetery (مقبرة النصيرات) in the centre of Nuseirat (النصيرات), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.450833, 34.393056. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 9
  • (1 child2–3 women1 man1 journalist)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alshaikh Abdul Ra`auf
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abu Mahmoud
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: AccMotasem Guma’a Nadi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Haitham Abu Muaz
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

    Source: @channeldraw

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 9
  • (1 child2–3 women1 man1 journalist)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]