Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0393

Incident date

October 20, 2023

Location

الأمل, al Amal, Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.354810, 34.297943 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Around 5 AM on Friday, October 20, 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit a home belonging to the journalist Rami Khreis located in the al-Amal neighborhood, west of the town of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing his seven-year old son Abdul Rahman Rami Mahmoud Khreis, and injuring 12 family members, including his Rami’s wife. 

Most local sources named Abdul Rahman as the only deceased victim, but Alsharq News Palestine reported about “two martyrs” from the strike. A journalist Adel Zaroub mentioned a “female martyr” in the Khreis family home, so the maximum death toll may reach two civilians.

Most sources reported that “injuries” occurred as a result of the strike. A Facebook user Alaa Jamal said that his uncle’s home was hit in the strike and that “all of them [were] injured.” The Awda Alfada’iyye Channel offered a precise figure of 12 injured family members, noting that they were brought to Al-Nasser hospital. The Palestinian Information Center identified Rami Khreis’ wife as among those injured.

Friends and loved ones offered condolences to the family of the killed boy. Abdul’s uncle Atef Al-Namrouti posted a photo of a small child making the peace sign with a pet bird perched on his shoulder. “My nephew, Abd al-Rahman Rami Khreis,” said Al-Namrouti. “A martyr and a bird of paradise with God’s praise.”

A Facebook user named Diaa Momar, who appears to live near the family, lamented the death of “the good and decent neighbor’s son,” sharing a picture of the slain child. She also posted photos of what appear to be a little girls room with a window blown out, possibly the damage to her own home from the nearby bombing.

Several other sources posted similar graphic pictures of the dead boy, wearing a yellow t-shirt in a body bag and his corpse being carried on a stretcher in others.

Abdul Rahman’s name has 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 at approximately 5:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Abdul Rahman Rami Mahmoud Khreis عبد الرحمن رامي خريس
7 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 437398795
Wife of Rami Khreis (Unnamed)
Adult female injured

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of al Amal (الأمل) to the west 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 Amal are: 31.354810, 34.297943.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[34.2929649,31.3537469],[34.2929006,31.3536369],[34.2928791,31.3538568],[34.2929864,31.3539668],[34.2986512,31.3603251],[34.3035007,31.35743],[34.3013978,31.3551762],[34.3018055,31.3544249],[34.2986727,31.350705],[34.2954111,31.3521527],[34.2929649,31.3537469]]]}}]}

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahmad Khreis Abu Yazan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahmad Khreis Abu Yazan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Diaa Momar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Diaa Momar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Diaa Momar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Diaa Momar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Alloush003
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Atef Al-Namrouti

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]