Airwars assessment
At dawn on October 24th, 17 civilians across three generations of the same family were killed and a number of others were injured when an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the home of the Al-Batta family near al-Salam Mosque in the town of al-Qarara in Khan Younis.
Those killed were members of the Saqallah family, who had been displaced from Gaza City following evacuation orders. Nablus TV reported that “a number of others” were also injured, but did not specify how many.
Fadl Saqallah (49) was killed with his three sons, Dawoud Fadl Saqallah (17), Muhammad Fadl Saqallah and Majid Fadl Saqallah. Fadl’s brother Ahmed Saqallah (42) was also killed with his son Abdallah Ahmed Saqallah. Several other of Fadl’s nephews were killed, identified as 28-year-old Wael Mahmoud Saqallah, 15-year-old Ahmed Mahmoud Saqallah, 26-year-old Abdul Rahman Mazen al-Qishawi and 35-year-old Shadi Nahed al-Batta. Brother and sister Muhammad Ezzat Saqallah (18) and Maryam Ezzat Saqallah (33) were killed, along with their nephew Izzat Asaad Saqallah (1). Maryam’s husband, 40-year-old Hani Essam Saqallah was killed, as were their three sons: 11-year-old Muhammad Hani Saqallah, 7-year-old Issam Hani Saqallah, and Mustafa Hani Saqallah, who had not yet celebrated his first birthday.
The Saqallah family arrived at the al-Batta family’s four-story house in Khan Younis after receiving evacuation orders. The Saqallahs, who own sweet shops in Gaza City, had arrived with trays of sweets for their hosts. The families sheltered together for approximately ten days, during which they shared “rare moment[s] of respite.” Along with the Saqallahs, the building was temporarily home to 100 displaced people.
Speaking to Twitter/x user @Citizn YC, Ammaral-Batta, a cousin who survived the attack, said that the family thought “our area would be safe. But apparently, there is no safe place in Gaza.”
Following the strike, friends and family wrote messages on social media mourning the death of their loved ones, and shared several images. Hani Essam Saqallah’s colleague and friend Sameh Mahfooz posted a photo of Hani wearing glasses and a short sleeve blue shirt sitting in front of a laptop. Hani was, Sameh wrote, “a symbol of morals, taste, literature, commitment, and kindness.”
Shadi Nahed al-Batta was a 35 year old engineer who held a masters degree in Water and Environment and was the director of the central treatment plant in Khan Younis for the Coastal Municipalities Water Authority. Shadi was described by friends and family as young, ambitious and kind, “never refusing a request, and always ready to assist everyone.” Mohammed el Batta shared a photo online of Shadi standing on the steps with his two young children and his wife, to whom he had been married for eight years. One of his daughters holds a bouquet of flowers, while Shadi, wearing a grey suit and a blue shirt, embraced his wife as they smile toward the camera. @GazaMartys shared a comment from Shadi’s wife, which read ‘Shadi, you were a symbol of courage and sacrifice. You left behind beautiful memories for us from the 8 years we spent together with our small family.’
Facebook user Mohammad Abuanza shared a selfie with Shadi by the side of a lake. Wearing hi-vis jackets, they smile toward the camera. The comment read, ‘fellow engineer Shadi Al-Batta, companion of difficult days and man of effort and ambition’. Shadi was aiming to study for a doctoral degree, and had received a passport to travel to a university outside Gaza before his death.
In a photo shared on social media Fadl Saq Allah is depicted as a middle aged man sitting on a sofa in a beige shirt and grey trousers. His nephew Abdul Rahman Mazen Al-Qishawi is depicted in a standing pose wearing white trousers and a white shirt.
In another photo, Muhammad Ezzat Saqallah is depicted as a young boy standing in a market, he wears glasses, a green and white striped shirt and a beige jacket.
Middle East Page reported that the Saqallah family buried more than 50 of its family members in one day. In a video shared on Facebook a large group of mourners gather together as dozens of bodies wrapped in white body bags are carried out for burial. Pictures of the funeral show a blood-stained infant body bag, presumably holding the remains of Mustafa Hani Saqallah.
Osama al-Bashity, a relative, reported that they couldn’t recognize the dead and could identify their remains only through clothing. Their relatives, al-Bashity stated, “had turned to pieces.” The family’s devastation, Ammar al-Batta said, was immense: “Our eyes are dry. There are no tears left.”
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.
Where sources attributed the strike to a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
The incident occured around dawn.
The victims were named as:
Family members (17)
Summary
Sources (35) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (31) [ collapse]
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Source: @ShehabAgency -
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Source: Mohannad zarouq -
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Source: Bisam hatem al kishawi -
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Source: Eyhab mohammed -
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Source: Samah jahshan -
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Source: Sameh mahfooz abu hassera -
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Source: Yusuf khaled al kishawi -
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Source: Mohammed el batta -
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Source: Al-qarara pulse we are with you -
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Source: Ahmad al-batta abu tameem -
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Source: Mohammad abuanza -
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Source: Wael abo ebied -
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Source: Wael abo ebied -
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Source: Hatem abu jabr -
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Source: Mohammed ehab -
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Source: Mohammed r algamal -
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Source: Alkhabar -
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Source: Said el haji -
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Source: Said el haji -
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Source: Halool mazen al kishawi -
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Source: @RamAbdu -
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Source: @GazaMartyrs -
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Source: @GazaMartyrs -
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