Airwars assessment
At least 15 civilians, including a pregnant woman and at least nine children, were reportedly killed and up to 40 others injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike which hit several homes on Abu Khater Street in the Tal al-Zaatar neighbourhood of the northern Gaza Strip on October 25th 2023.
Whilst the Jordanian news agency, Roya News, citing the Gaza Interior Ministry, announced that 11 had been killed in the strike, @abeer, writing on Twitter/X, placed the toll higher, reporting that “more than 20” were dead. Meanwhile, 15 individuals were named by family and friends to be among those killed. Therefore, in line with Airwars’ methodology, the minimum number of people killed has been recorded as 15.
Multiple sources concurred that many were injured in the strike, with Roya News placing the number of injuries at “dozens” whilst Shehab Agency reported that 40 injured people had arrived at the Indonesian Hospital and Awdeh TV placed the injury toll at 32. Among the injured who were transported to the hospital, @Walaasawalmeh claimed on Twitter/X that one group was composed entirely of children, along with images of at least six children receiving treatment. Palinfo reported in a post on Twitter/X that three children were injured in the incident.
According to Palinfo, the al-Zuhairi family home was destroyed in the strike whilst neighbouring houses, such as that of the Aziz family, were heavily damaged leaving many of the dead and injured buried beneath the rubble. @Bisan_Shafri added that the Salha and al-Sulay family homes were also hit in the strike and that rescue operations were carried out.
Of the 15 people identified by family and friends to have been killed in the strike, 12 came from three generations of the Salha family and three were members of the al-Zuhairi family. Grandmother Manal Salha was killed alongside her five daughters Maha Hussein Mohammed Salha, 21-year-old Shaima Hussein Mohammed Salha, who was nine months pregnant when the incident occured, 17-year-old Jannat Hussein Mohammed Salha, 13-year-old Shatha Hussein Mohammed Salha, and 10-year-old Maria Hussain Mohammed Salha as well as her son Muhammad Hussein Salha. Maha Hussein Salha’s 2-year-old daughter Hoda Ahmed Jamal Jarad and Shaima Hussein Salha’s 1-year-old daughter Rana Majd Ramzi al-Muqayed were also killed in the strike. Additionally, 24-year-old Israa Jamil Abu Dan, Manal Salha’s daughter-in-law, was killed alongside her 1-year-old son Moamen Essam Salha and her 2-year-old daughter Rehab Essam Salha.
From the al-Zuhairi family, grandfather Khaled al-Zuhairi was killed alongside his 2-year-old granddaughter Batoul al-Zuhairi and his 1-year-old grandson Moaz al-Zuhairi.
Furthermore, @feraasemad claimed that five had been killed in the Aziz family home.
TRTArabi posted a video on Twitter/X of a paramedic attempting to resuscitate a child who had reportedly been pulled from the rubble after the incident that took place in Tal al-Zaatar.
Numerous family members and friends mourned the loss of those killed on social media. Majd.almogayad [Majd Ramzi al-Muqayed] paid tribute to his wife Shaima Hussein Salha and young daughter Rana Majd Ramzi al-Muqayed on Facebook, announcing their death and writing “My wife, by beloved, the apple of my eye, who is in the ninth month of pregnancy, and my little daughter, Rana, my beloved, the light of my eyes, the queen of my heart, my soul, and my life […]”
Issam Hussein Salha, who lost his mother Manal Salha, his wife Israa Jamil Abu Dan, his two children Maomen Issam Salha and Rehab Essam Salha, and six siblings in the strike also mourned on Facebook. “I ask God Almighty that you attain the highest paradise”, he wrote.
Meanwhile, Mohammedd.shawari posted on Facebook that October 25th was “A date that I will never forget as long as I live.” He continued, “My grandchildren, Batoul and Moaz [al-Zuhairi] and their grandfather, the deceased friend. May God have mercy on you and give us patience in your separation.” A tweet from @AlAYASHxs included graphic images of both of the children deceased.
Aerial images posted by Roya News showed the scale of the destruction as two buildings appear totally destroyed, only pillars remaining, while the surrounding buildings also sustained substantial damage.
Images posted by Raya FM further show the scale of damage as an entire block has been flattened and Civil Defense workers can be seen searching under blocks of rubble. Other images of the scene, posted by Shehab Agency, show civilians and a digger clearing the rubble of the destroyed house, while household objects and clothes can be seen scattered across the area.
Upsetting images posted by multiple sources showed the family mourning the victims who had been killed, a number of bodies can be seen wrapped in white shrouds. An image posted on Twitter/X by Shehab Agency showed a man gently holding a child’s body, wrapped in a white shroud, close to him. Other images showed some of the child victims arriving at the Indonesian Hospital, severely harmed.
The Ministry of the Interior in Gaza reported that the incident took place without warning.
The names of all victims except for Maha Hussein Salha and Mohammed Hussein Salha have been reconciled to the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities published on October 26, 2023. Khaled al-Zuhairi and Manal Salha have been partially reconciled but full reconciliation is not possible without further evidence.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
Whilst the exact local time of the incident is unclear, reports first emerged in the late morning.
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 (12)
Family members (3)
Summary
Sources (36) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (52) [ collapse]
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