Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0394

Incident date

October 19–20, 2023

Location

كنيسة القديس برفيريوس, الزيتون, Vicinity of Saint Porphyrius church, Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.503763, 34.462332 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On either late October 19th or the early hours of October 20th, between 14 and 28 people were killed and others were injured when the house of the Eliwa family, in the Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, south of Gaza City was bombed in an alleged Israeli airstrike.

Palinfo reported that people were killed and injured and that “homes, roads and a prayer hall” were bombed in the vicinity of Street 8 in Al Zaytoun neighborhood. Al Arabiya reported in a post on Twitter/X that a church was also bombed.

Eight civilian victims were identified by name. Three victims were reportedly killed alongside their families and children – in line with Airwars’ methodology, the minimum number of civilians killed has therefore been recorded as 14. A family member, Hazem Eliwa, reported that 22 victims had been killed. A witness in a video posted by Al Arabiya reported that 28 bodies had been recovered from the site and more remained buried under the rubble. A tweet from @palestineultra also identified other “wounded” individuals as a result from the strike but did not provide an exact toll.

Samir Kanaan shared a post, mourning the loss of his family and friends: 52-year-old Nidal Masoud Hameed Eliwa (also known as Abu Hamed) and his family, Abu Amer and his family, the wife of Mustafa and their children, as well as the wife of Mohammed Saleem and the son of Ahmed Saleem.

The Zaytoun Group identified 52-year-old Taysir Musa Ibrahim Ishteiwi (also known as Abu Hamza) and his wife as further casualties in the incident.

In a message of grief on Facebook, Mostafa al-Shahmi reported that his cousin Walid Omar Shaaba had passed away and posted a picture of Walid from when he was alive.

Ola Khabbas mourned the death of another victim, Muhammed Shaana (Abu Hamed) in a tribute to him, which stated, “You were our hope… the pearl of our dreams…” In another post, Ola said, “You left us, but your spirit lives in our hearts and all our souls.” Images posted by Ola in a slideshow showed Muhammed Shaana carrying a weapon and wearing uniform. The slideshow included images of a flag of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in a cemetery. Airwars has therefore classified Muhammed Shaana as a militant.

In a video posted by Al Arabiya on Twitter, civilians interviewed at the scene said that a mosque and church with women and children inside had been hit and that 28 bodies had already been recovered. Video footage showed civilians digging through rubble in a large crater, searching for victims. The minaret of a mosque and a church spire can be seen in the background.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.

Where possible, names have been reconciled with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities published on October 26, 2023.

Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Nidal Masoud Hameed Eliwa نضال مسعود حامد عليوه
52 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 925720237
Family of Nidal Masoud Hameed Eliwa عائلة نضال مسعود حامد عليوه
killed
Family of Nidal Masoud Hameed Eliwa عائلة نضال مسعود حامد عليوه
killed

Family members (3)

Abu Amer ابو عامر
Adult male killed
Family of Abu Amer عائلته ابو عامر
killed
Family of Abu Amer عائلته ابو عامر
killed

Family members (3)

wife of Mustafa زوجة مصطفى
Adult female killed
Child of Mustafa and his wife طفل مصطفى
Child killed
Child of Mustafa and his wife طفل مصطفى
Child killed

Family members (2)

Taysir Musa Ibrahim Ishteiwi تيسير موسى ابراهيم اشتيوي
59 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 901975359
Wife of Taysir Musa Ibrahim Ishteiwi زوجة تيسير موسى ابراهيم اشتيوي
Adult female killed

The victims were named as:

wife of Mohammed Saleem زوجة محمد سليم
Adult female killed
Son of Ahmed Saleem ابن احمد سليم
Age unknown male killed
Walid Omar Shaaba وليد عمر شعبه
Adult male killed

Geolocation notes (3) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a residential building being struck in the vicinity of Saint Porphyrius church (كنيسة القديس برفيريوس) in the Al Zaytoun neighbourhood (الزيتون). Analysing visual material from sources we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 31.503763, 34.462332.

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  • Imagery:
    @AlArabiya

  • Imagery:
    @AlArabiya

  • Imagery:
    @AlArabiya

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14 – 28
  • (3 children3 women4–5 men)
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

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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
    Religious Institution, Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14 – 28
  • (3 children3 women4–5 men)
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (20) [ collapse]