Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0383

Incident date

October 19, 2023

Location

الناصر, al Nasr, Rafah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.278118, 34.306429 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On Thursday, October 19th, 2023, two brothers, 39-year-old Khalil Ibrahim Abu Athrah and 33-year-old Moaz Ibrahim Abu Athrah, were reported killed after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Al-Nasr neighbourhood, north of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Khalil, who worked as a cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was remembered by his colleagues, who called him a “beloved journalist colleague” and “co-worker and lifelong friend.” Fellow journalists attached photographs of Khalil, often with camera in tow. Several sources claimed he had been deliberately “targeted” for his work.

English-language Carthage Magazine pointed to the strike as an example of the dangers journalists face, writing “half of all the journalists that were killed worldwide in 2022 have been killed by Israel in Gaza in just 11 days,” with Twitter/X user @Hamzaalnamla1 reported that the brothers had been found “in body parts.”

All sources that identified a belligerent attributed the strike to Israeli forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

​​Khalil Ibrahim Abu Athrah خليل ابراهيم ابو عاذرة
39 years old male killed
Moaz Ibrahim Abu Athrah معاذ ابراهيم ابو عاذرة
33 years old male killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of al Nasr (الناصر) to the north of Rafah (رفح). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to find boundaries for the neighbourhood and to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for al Nasr are: 31.278118, 34.306429.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammad al akhras
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Saed abu hathifa
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammad abu al-motazar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mansour abo yahea
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Journalist adel zourob official
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahmad shaaban abu athra
  • 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 harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]