Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT041024c

Incident date

October 4, 2024

Location

بالقرب من مدرسة أحمد الكرد دير البلح, Vicinity of Ahmed Al Kurd School, Deir Al Balah, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.427608, 34.352827 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At dawn on October 4, 2024, a declared Israeli airstrike struck a tent sheltering displaced people inside Ahmed Al Kurd School in the in Al Bassa area of Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring several others, including children.

Israeli forces claimed the strike was targeting a “command and control center” embedded in the school compound.

Mustafa Al Ameer Mohammed Fayed (14 years old) was killed during the bombardment, according to @Sa7atPlBreaking on X/Twitter and Hani Alshaer on Facebook. Aljazeera posted an image of Mustafa, a young boy wearing a tan hoodie and smiling at the camera. Multiple sources mentioned “martys” resulting from the strike but none provided a number.

Additionally, @SelemRopp reported that multiple injuries, predominantly children, occurred. Posts by @SalemRopp and @ajmubasher on X/Twitter stated that the children were asleep in the school when it was bombed.

Video footage and images were posted by @PalinfoAr, @SalemRopp, @khaberni, and @ajmubasher on X, showing scenes of injured children and destruction at the school. Another video posted by Al Nashet Mohammed Saed shows at least one injured child arriving at the hospital in an ambulance.

In a series of photos posted by Ethaat Sawt Falstin and Osama Al-Kahloo, women and children are shown inspecting a destroyed site said to be the Ahmed Al Kurd School in Deir Al Balah. Kids can be seen picking up and carrying books and notebooks around the site, trying to find their possessions amongst the rubble.

The Israeli Defense Forces released a statement on Telegram declaring their involvement that “A short while ago, with the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center in the Gaza Strip. The command and control center was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the ‘Ahmad Al Kurd’ School in the area of the central Gaza Strip.” No additional evidence was found to support the claim of Hamas’ presence at the school at the time of the strike.

The incident occured around dawn.

The victims were named as:

Mustafa Al Ameer Mohammed Fayed مصطفى الأمير محمد فايد
14 years old male killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of the Ahmed Al Kurd School (مدرسة أحمد الكرد) in Deir Al Balah (دير البلح), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.427608, 34.352827. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Known belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces

Sources (50) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (45) [ collapse]

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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Ethaat sawt falstin
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    Source: Osama Al-Kahloot
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    Source: Osama Al-Kahloot
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    Source: Osama Al-Kahloot
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    Source: Osama Al-Kahloot
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    Source: Alarabiya Palestine
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    Source: Al Hadath Palestine
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    Source: Al Jazeera - Palestine
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    Source: al fursan al tisea Muaskar  jabalia
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Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

IDF: A short while ago, with the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center in the Gaza Strip. The command and control center was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the 'Ahmad al-Kurd' School in the area of the central Gaza Strip.
Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.
This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law. The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas in defense of the citizens of Israel.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Known belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces

Sources (50) [ collapse]