Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISPT0825

Incident date

November 2, 2023

Location

محافظة دير البلح, Deir Al Balah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.420319, 34.370157 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Referenced in

Airwars assessment

On November 2nd 2023, 48-year-old Iyad Tayeh Jamil Matar, a journalist for Al-Aqsa TV and his mother, were reportedly killed in an alleged Israeli bombing on their home in the centrally-located Deir Al Balah Governorate of the Gaza Strip.

The alleged Israeli bombing of their home was reported by a number of news sources and social media posts. Photos shared by Twitter/X user @livequds showed a number of journalists carrying the covered body of Iyad Matar with one at the front carrying a bloodied press vest.

In a Facebook post from Journalist Salim Salim reporting the death of their colleague Iyad, a photo was shared of a damaged press hat and vest lying atop of a wrapped body.

The death of Iyad and his mother was reported in English news by Roya News, a Jordanian news outlet, and shared by a number of users on Twitter/X,

According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, Iyad Matar was the 33rd journalist to be killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of conflict on October 7th 2023. Reports provided conflicting information on this, as a source from Roya News claimed that Iyad was the 39th journalist and media professional to die as a result of the ongoing Israeli operation on the Gaza Strip.

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

Iyad was matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities released on July 24 2024.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Iyad Tayeh Jamil Matar الصحفي إياد تايه جميل مطر
48 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 901334755
Iyad's mother (Unnamed)
Adult female killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Deir al-Balah governorate (محافظة دير البلح), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.420319, 34.370157. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 woman1 man1 journalist)
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @livequds

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Journalist Salim Salim

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: R.NEWS

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Roya news

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 woman1 man1 journalist)
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]