Airwars assessment
On October 26th 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the residence of the al-Shawa family near the Public Prosecution Office on Al-Nayabah Street, within the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in the Gaza Strip. Multiple civilian injuries and fatalities were reported on the day. While at least 23 civilians were reported killed, one source mentioned “29 [members] of [his] family” were killed.
Most of those killed were members of the al-Shawa family. 88-year-old Mazen Dhafer Khalil al-Shawa was killed with his wife, 78-year-old Randa Kamal Sheikh Omar Shashaa. Their 47-year-old daughter, Dima Mazen Dhafer Khalil al-Shawa, and 44-year-old son, Firas Mazen al-Shawa were also killed. Firas’ wife, 38-year-old Nour Sufyan Sabri al-Hafni, was killed with their children: their eight-year-old son Ahmed Firas al-Shawa, and daughters Sundus Firas al-Shawa (12) and Misk Firas al-Shawa (15).
37-year-old Heba Sufyan Sabri al-Hafni, the daughter-in-law of Mazen and Randa, was also killed. Her four children died with her: 14-year-old Maryam al-Batul al-Shawa, 13-year-old al-Baraa al-Shawa, 12-year-old Yahya al-Shawa, and nine-year-old Anas al-Shawa.
Another of Mazen and Randa’s daughter-in-laws, 44-year-old Sahar Wael Mustafa Shashaa, was also killed with her six children: 20-year-old Sujud al-Shawa, 18-year-old Tasnim al-Shawa, 17-year-old Zamzam al-Shawa, 17-year-old Abdul Rahman al-Shawa, 14-year-old Qamar al-Shawa, and 11-year-old Aisha al-Shawa. While one source, Tayseer Zein El Deen alleged that Abdul Rahman and Zamzam were “injured and are in the hospital in stable condition,” most other sources listed them as deceased. It was reported that Sahar’s husband was injured.
Sahar’s father, 78-year-old Wael Mustafa Omar Shashaa was killed with his wife 72-year-old Salwa Sobhi Zein el-Din. Another of Wael’s daughters, 42-year-old Samah Wael Shashaa, was also killed.
The casualties were so extensive that one source on Facebook, Hamdan Shawwa, alleged that “two families were erased from the civil registry.”
Relatives and friends used social media to express their grief over the loss and give color to the lives of the deceased. Mazen and Wael were both referred to by Facebook user Sherif Elhifny as “Hajj” with Randa and Salwa named “Hajja,” referring to their completion of the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Sherif also referred to Dima as a professor. User Tayseer Zein El Deen, the brother of Salwa, mentioned that her daughter Samah was a doctor. Facebook user Sobhi Shashaa stated that Samah had memorized the Quran, and had a Doctorate in Forensic Sciences. Twitter/X user “Gaza Martyrs” remembered Samah as “one of the kindest, most affectionate, and gentlest teachers ever.” She was always seen “with a smile.”
In a video shared in December by Twitter/X user Huda Naim shows “the child Yahya Ahmed Atallah bidding farewell to his mother […] Samah Shashaa.” Yahya can be seen crying over a white body bag. The caption further alleges that he was killed some months after his mother.
The Facebook page for the Directorate of Education, East Gaza, sent their condolences to the family of Nour al-Hafni their “colleague, [and] educational guide at Fahmi Al-Jarjawi Secondary School for Girls.” Sherif Elhifny expressed his relief that family members had arrived at the hospital to conduct a funeral for the deceased.
Sobhi Shashaa posted to Facebook to also report that many people were still under rubble with their fate unknown. Posting a picture of a building which had been destroyed and was now a ruin, Hashem Shashaa stated in the image’s caption that 13 members of his family had been killed in the incident as well as reporting that, at that time, 48 members remained under the rubble. It is likely that some of those under the rubble accounted for the higher death toll; it is unknown whether some under the rubble were rescued.
In a further post to Facebook Hamdan Shawwa, a member of the Shawa family, posted a video of people moving sand to cover deceased bodies in white cloth, noting in the caption that two families had been killed in the incident.
In a post to Facebook by an account named Shawa Family, it was reported that the Shawa family home was located near the Al-Shifa Hospital and that “civil defence men” were working to extract those killed and injured by the airstrike.
All names have been reconciled with published Palestinian Ministry of Health lists. With thanks to journalist Alexandre Horn from CheckNews for identifying relevant sources, and Data Tech for Palestine for centralising the datasets.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (24)
Summary
Sources (23) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]
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Source: Hashem shashaa -
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Source: Sobhi shashaa -
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Source: @GazaMartyrs