Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0440

Incident date

October 21, 2023

Location

النصيرات, Nuseirat, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.450065, 34.392934 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

During the morning of Saturday October 21st 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike killed at least four civilians and wounded numerous others, after the bombardment hit the Abu Marahil residence on al-Eshreen Street, in the Nuseirat camp, central-west of the Gaza Strip.

The deceased were members of the Abu Marahil family: 64-year old Issa Suleiman Abu Marahil was killed, as was 53-year old Iman Salama Abu Marahil. Iman was killed with her son, 23-year old Ahmed Hussein Suleiman Abu Marahil and his wife, Duha Samir Al Haj Abu Marahil.

The four deceased were confirmed by multiple local news outlets on Twitter/X, such as @F24online, @refugeesps and @palestine_graph. Each further reported that the airstrike also caused injuries to civilians who could be trapped under the rubble of the Abu Marahi family home, but did not provide a number of injuries.

An outpouring of grief from the victims’ friends and extended family were expressed on social media. Facebook user Yasser Youssef remembered Issa Abu Marahil as a “sports captain” who was “one of the cadres of Ahly Nuseirat Club.” A photo attached shows Issa in a baseball cap and sports jacket. The Facebook page of Nuseirat Camp further remembered him as a “kind-hearted Hajj”, attaching a picture of him in a black three-piece suit.

Facebook user Oday expressed their pain in a Facebook post and posted a picture of Issa Suleiman Abu Marahil (Abu Abdullah) dressed in black, smiling at the camera. A picture of his son Ahmed Hussein Suleiman Abu Marahil was posted alongside it, depicting the young man in a home, smiling brightly at the camera. Ahmed Hussein Suleiman’s wife Duha Samir Al Haj Abu Marahil and his mother Iman Salama Abu Marahil were also remembered in a Facebook post by Tarek.

It is unclear how many others were injured in the strike. Facebook user Khaled Abu Marahil Abu Abdullah reported that “the whole family is under the rubble.” It is unknown whether the deceased were uncovered from collapsed buildings, or how many others remained.

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

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 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 incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Issa Suleiman Abu Marahil عيسى سليمان أبو مراحيل
64 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 942230236
Ahmed Hussein Suleiman Abu Marahil أحمد حسين سليمان أبو
23 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 405839309
Duha Samir Al Haj Abu Marahil ضحى سمير الحاج أبو مراحيل
female killed
Iman Salama Abu Marahil إيمان سلامة أبو مراحيل
53 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 410542807

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Nuseirat (النصيرات), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.450065, 34.392934. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (2 women2 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

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Source: Yosuf

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
    4
  • (2 women2 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

Sources (24) [ collapse]