Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0797d

Incident date

October 31, 2023

Location

منزلا لعائلة أبو دف بالقرب من مسجد بن رباح غرب حي الزيتون, Abu Daf family home near the Bin Rabah Mosque, west of the al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, Gaza City, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

On Tuesday, October 31st, 2023, an Israeli airstrike allegedly hit the Abu Daf family house in the al-Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City, killing six of its members, including two children.

Magdy Hussein Muhammad Abu Daf, 34, was killed along with his sons, 14-year-old Magdy Hussein Muhammad Abu Daf and Haroun Magdy Hussein Abu Daf, who was only nine.

Three of Magdy Hussein’s cousins were also killed in the alleged strike. They were identified as 33-year-old Bayan Tayseer Muhammad Abu Daf, 29-year-old Ezz El-Din Musa Deeb Abu Daf, and Mahmoud Harbi Hassan, whose age Airwars was not able to verify.

Several sources, including Moaab, Jordan TV, and the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Voice radio station reported the incident, mentioning that a “citizen” and his son had been killed. Facebook user Atef Alnajjar posted that there were also reports of a “number” of injuries. However, the extent of the damage caused by the alleged attack became known only through social media posts made by the victims’ relatives, who shared lists of their lost loved ones.

“Today I lost a piece of my heart”, wrote Alaa Abu Daf in a Facebook post. “My brother Magdy, his children, my cousin, and my aunt’s children.” Ashraf Abuzour announced the “martyrdom” of his maternal uncles, while Mohammad Taha sent “sincere condolences” to “all our loved ones in the Abu Daf family.”

Hamed Jawad Mahdi honoured his cousins by posting recent pictures of them, which were also shared by other relatives on their social media accounts. In one, Ahmed Magdy smiles at the camera, standing proudly in front of a white and blue wall, wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and jeans. On the opposite side, his younger brother Haroun Magdy mirrors the scene, looking at the camera with a gentle expression. The post also included selfies of their father Magdy Hussein, who is wearing a dark blue shirt, and his cousin Bayan Tayseer, wearing the Spanish Football National Team’s shirt, a calm look on his face.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.

Of the six victims, five have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health lists of fatalities in Gaza.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

Magdy Hussein Muhammad Abu Daf مجدي حسين محمد ابو دف
34 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 802300061
Ahmed Magdy Hussein Abu Daf احمد مجدى حسين ابو دف
14 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 426430559
Haroun Magdy Hussein Abu Daf هارون مجدى حسين ابو دف
9 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 433505344
Ezz El-Din Musa Deeb Abu Daf عز الدين موسى ديب ابو دف
29 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 804751774
Bayan Tayseer Muhammad Abu Daf بيان تيسير محمد ابو دف
33 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 802747568
Mahmoud Harbi Hassan محمود حربي حسان
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2–3 children3–4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (15) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Loay Jawwad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Loay Jawwad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Loay Jawwad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Loay Jawwad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamed Jawad Mahdi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Issa Abu Mukhlis Abu Daf
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Issa Abu Mukhlis Abu Daf
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Issa Abu Mukhlis Abu Daf
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Issa Abu Mukhlis Abu Daf

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2–3 children3–4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]