Conflict

Israel and Gaza

Incident Code

ISPT0509

Location

Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, Gaza City, Gaza, Palestinian territories

Geolocation

31.531545, 34.464841
Accuracy: Neighbourhood/area

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

At dawn on Monday, 23 October 2023, at least 15 identified members of the Sukkar family, including two women and eight children, were killed and others injured in an alleged Israeli bombing on the home of the Al-Ustad family in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.

The patriarch of the family, 72-year-old Riyad Sukkar was killed along with his two sons, Ismail Sukkar and 50-year-old Salem Sukkar.

Salem Sukkar’s wife, 45-year-old Sanaa Issa Hassan Khalifa Sukkar, and five of their children also reportedly died in the attack. Their three sons, 23-year-old Riyad Salem Sukkar, 20-year-old Muhammad Salem Sukkar and 17-year-old Ahmed Salem Sukkar were reportedly killed, as were two of their daughters, 15-year-old Zahida Salem Sukkar and 8-year-old Shahd Salem Sukkar.

Riyad’s wife Souad Hossam Muharram was also killed, along with the couple’s infant daughter, Sousso Sukkar.

Ismail Sukkar’s wife, 28-year-old Rana Kamal Mohamed Abusalmiya Matar was also killed in the alleged Israeli airstrike, along with their two sons, 7-year-old Bilal Sukkar and Bahaa Sukkar and their daughter, Bilsan Sukkar.

Relatives and friends mourned those lost on social media and attached pictures of the aftermath. A photo shared by Hossam Muharram, the father of Souad, shows him grieving over Souad’s body, wrapped in a body bag tagged with her name. He also shared images of Riyad, and a final photograph of a sleeping Sousso.

Hossam again posted on January 21, 2024, three months “since [his] separation [from] the most precious human beings.” On March 3rd, Hossam shared a video of a laughing Sousso, calling her the “sweetheart of her grandpa.”

One Facebook post from Atef Sukkar, the nephew of Riyad Sukkar, reported that the family was permanently erased from the civil registry as a result of the bombing.

Safa News Agency, along with multiple other sources, reported that the Ministry of Interior had confirmed injuries as a result of the alleged Israeli attack. No further details were given.

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.

One name was partially reconciled but cannot be considered definitive. Souad Hossam Muharram may be 16-year-old Suad Husam Rushad Mahram. This match is considered partial due to Souad’s status as a mother, which may not cohere with the age of the woman listed in the Ministry of Health list.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli Military.

Victims

Family members (15)

Riyad Salem Deeb Sukkar
72 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 910897057
Ismail Sukkar
Adult male killed
Salem Sukkar
50 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 920616752
Sanaa Issa Hassan Khalifa Sukkar
45 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 901451765
Riyad Salem Sukkar
23 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 405999459
Souad Hossam Muharram
16 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 424394757
Sousso Sukkar,
Child female killed
Muhammad Salem Sukkar
20 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 409310455
Ahmed Salem Sukkar
17 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 422786061
Zahida Salem Sukkar
15 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 425845294
Shahd Salem Sukkar
8 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 436061790
Rana Kamal Mohamed Abu salmiya Matar
28 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 400821583
Bilal Sukkar
7 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 435919840
Bahaa Sukkar
Child male killed
Bilsan Sukkar,
Child female killed

Key Information

Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Strike Status
Likely strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
15
8 Children, 2 Women, 5 Men
Civilians reported injured
2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan (حي الشيخ رضوان) in Gaza City (مدينة غزة), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.531545, 34.464841. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[34.4716215,31.5295862],[34.4651411,31.5237882],[34.4547558,31.5322017],[34.4607744,31.5373408],[34.4618583,31.5364813],[34.4651411,31.539444],[34.4750118,31.5317078],[34.4760417,31.5309396],[34.4767284,31.5295496],[34.4742822,31.5274646],[34.4716215,31.5295862]]]}}]}

Military Statements

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

Media From Sources (10)