Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0639

Incident date

October 26, 2023

Location

بالقرب من مقبرة البريج، مخيم البريج, Vicinity of Bureij cemetery, Al Bureij camp, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.433918, 34.400125 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

During the morning of October 26th 2023, two farm workers were reportedly killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike and/or artillery strike on a poultry farm near the Al Bureij cemetery in the Al Bureij Refugee Camp located in the central Gaza Strip. The names of the victims have not been made public.

Palestinian Press Agency (Safa.ps) reported in the morning of the 26th that “two martyrs were killed when a group of citizens, chicken farm workers, were targeted near the Bureij cemetery, eastern Bureij camp.” This was reported by numerous other sources as well, including Nabd News, and Twitter/X users @YouthGoDigital, @shaabradio, and @refugeesps.

The same day, Facebook user Basil Khalaf wrote about the artillery attack on the poultry farm that made people hide out of fear of shrapnel: “I returned a short while ago from Bureij camp. There was heavy artillery shelling there, next to the cemetery. Workers on poultry farms were martyrs. People did not know where to flee to? Every minute there is an explosion. Cemetery Street is almost empty…People in the shelter center are confused. They are taking shelter in some walls for fear of shrapnel from tons of deadly missiles.”

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

The incident occured in the morning.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of Bureij cemetery (مقبرة البريج) in the Al Bureij camp (مخيم البريج), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.433918, 34.400125. 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 and/or Artillery
  • Infrastructure
    IDP or Refugee Camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Infrastructure
    IDP or Refugee Camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (16) [ collapse]