Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0434

Incident date

October 21, 2023

Location

مخيم النصيرات, food store Aqal in the Al-Nuseirat market, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.449392, 34.390762 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Shortly before 7:52 PM on Saturday, 21st October 2023, at least 8 civilians, among them a Dutch woman and six identified men, were reportedly killed and dozens of civilians were injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a popular food store Aqal in the Al-Nuseirat market roundabout. Two missiles were reportedly fired at the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, which was established in 1948 for Palestinians who were forced to migrate due to the war.

According to the Palestine Chronicle, dozens of killed and wounded civilians and extensive destruction of the whole area resulted from the strike. It was called a “horrendous massacre” by the the Palestine Chronicle correspondent. Local media outlets have reported that the strike hit the Aqal store in the market’s centre. Sobh shop, Hamada ice cream, and Jenin restaurant were also damaged. Al Jazeera correspondent Hisham Zaqout reporting from the location compared the effects of the destruction “as if an earthquake had struck the place.” Twitter/X user Maha Hussaini @MahaGaza wrote that “dozens of Palestinians were killed.”

News reports and social media testimonies by relatives and friends helped to identify the names of the seven victims, among them six men and one woman.

Dutch News reported that Islam al-Ashqar, a 33-year-old Dutch civilian woman was killed in the strike. She was reportedly visiting relatives at the Nusairat refugee camp in central Gaza and was one of 22 Dutch nationals the ministry was trying to help leave, broadcaster NOS said. Al-Ashqar had travelled to Gaza with her husband and four sons to visit relatives before the Hamas attacks in southern Israel took place.

36-year-old Muammar Husam Ali Al-Eissawi was listed among the victims killed in the incident, with his friend Abdulrahman Mohammed sharing on Facebook that Muammar had a kind heart and a wonderful smile. He shared an image of the smiling Muammar against the backdrop of the sea.

A Facebook post by user Ramzi identified Imad Munif Hamdan as a victim of the strike. The neighbour’s post expressed their condolences to his family, namely his brothers Raed, Ziad, Mahmoud, and Iyad. From the attached image Imad is seen as a smiling bald young man in a sport suit.

62-year-old Jamal Abdul Hamid Abdul Raman Jadallah (Abu Muhammad) was also reportedly killed in the strike according to social media posts. His death was mourned in a Facebook post by Essam Khattab who shared an image of an elderly man in a white shirt visiting holy Mecca.

A further victim has been identified by social media testimonies by friends and relatives is 43-year-old Haitham Ziyad Muhammad Hameed.  He was described as ‘kind-hearted and genuine” by his friend Ashraf who also added an image of a smiling middle-aged man dining with Ashraf. Sameeh Zomlot also mourned his death, calling him a “beloved friend”.

Issa Hosni Abu Sharar has also been identified as a victim. His death was mourned by his cousin Ahmed who shared an image of the middle-aged bearded man in a white T-shirt sitting on the sofa.

Among the victims killed was also Akram Abu Harb, with a cousin of Akram’s describing him to be a “man of righteousness and reform”.

Images of the injured civilians have emerged from a Facebook post by Abu Khaled, where they were being transported away from the scene and according to the caption transferred to Awda Hospital.

Mushaber News, Russia Today and Arabic News reported the death of eight civilians with dozens wounded. However, Turkiye News assessed that the death toll was 13 civilians.

Aerial footage of the market shared by Twitter/X user @mog_Russ showed buildings reduced to rubble. Simultaneously images shared on Twitter show the aftermath of the market the morning after. Images of the incident have also been shared on Twitter showing widespread fire across the market. Several sources, including the Palestine Chronicle, have reported that the extensive destruction prevented ambulances and civil defense teams from reaching the market at first.

Where possible, Airwars has matched names with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of nearly 7000 victims’ names and ID numbers released on October 26th, 2023.

Where sources identified the belligerent, the strike was attributed to Israeli forces.

The incident occured at approximately 7:52 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Muammar Husam Ali Al-Eissawi معمر حسام علي العيسوي
36 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 800759094
Jamal Abdul Hamid Abdul Raman Jadallah جمال عبد الحميد جاد الله
62 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 925154643
Haitham Ziyad Muhammad Hameed هيثم حميد
43 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 903319069
Issa Hosni Abu Sharar عيسى أبو شرار
Adult male killed
Akram Abu Harb ,أكرم أبو حرب
Adult male killed
Imad Munif Hamdan عماد منيف حمدان
Adult male killed
Islam al-Ashkar اسلام الأشقر
33 years old female killed

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention Al-Nuseirat (مخيم النصيرات). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 31.449392, 34.390762.

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  • Source: @mog_Russ Source: @mog_Russ

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    IDP or Refugee Camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 13
  • (1 woman7 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • 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
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (58) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (123) [ collapse]

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    Source: Alquds news

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    Source: Mubasher news

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    Source: @hassaneslayeh

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    Source: @hassaneslayeh

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    Source: @mog_Russ

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    Source: @mog_Russ

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    Source: @mog_Russ

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    Source: @Yasser_Gaza

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    Source: @Yasser_Gaza

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    Source: Abu khaled

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    Source: Moatez

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    Source: Haithem

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    Source: Haithem

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    Source: Haithem

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    Source: Haithem

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    Source: irbid24News

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    Source: Abedalrahman

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    Source: Ahmed

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    Source: M.0599215145

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    Source: Ramzi

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    Source: Alaa

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    Source: Isam

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    Source: Sakhr

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    Source: Sakhr

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    Source: Sakhr

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    Source: Ashraf

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    Source: Sameeh

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    Source: Ahmed

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    Source: Naser

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    Source: Anadolu Agency News

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    Source: @sentdefender

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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    Source: Palestine Chronicle News

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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
  • Infrastructure
    IDP or Refugee Camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 13
  • (1 woman7 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • 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
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (58) [ collapse]