At least 64 people were killed and at least six others were injured after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Ihyaa al-Sina mosque in the al-Daghamsha neighbourhood of al-Sabra, south of Gaza City.
The Palestinian News Agency reported “around 50” people had been killed, which Arabi 21 News corroborated. Many of those who were identified were members of the Daghmush family, who were responsible for the mosque’s construction and were highly involved in the community. Airwars identified the names of 61 members of the family, and the identity of at least three others killed. Ahram Online News reported that the mosque had been housing “hundreds of displaced individuals” at the time of the strike.
The names of victims listed below were found through open source research. The patriarch of the family, Saleh Daghmush, was killed, along with his son—who remains unnamed—and the son’s family. Saleh’s two brothers, Fatah Ashour Daghmush and Fayek Ashour Daghmush were also killed. Fayek’s sons, Asali and Rasheed, were initially reported killed, but later learned to be injured. Other family members were killed: Ashour Hafez Daghmush, Tawfiq al-Bahri Daghmush and Yazan Muhammad al-Bahri Daghmush.
Two brothers, Asali Ashour Daghmush and Mohammed (also referred to as Mahmoud) Daghmush were killed, as were brothers Imad Daghmush and Jouda Daghmush. Ali Rabah Daghmush was killed, as was sheikh and educator Medhat Daghmush (Abu Ramzi). The muezzin of the mosque, Noel Daghmush (Abu Khalil) was killed, as were father and son Barjas Daghmush and Abdel Fattah Kanaan Daghmush. Rafat Daghmush was killed along with his son, Al Asali Daghmush, and his two son-in-laws, who both remain unnamed. Majeed Fares Daghmush, Daoud Daghmush, Muhammad Sabah Daghmush and Omar al-Khor (Abu Tariq) were killed, as were Ramzi Suleiman al-Khor, Nizar Daghmush and Ahmad Daghmush. Another father and son were also casualties: Saddam Omar Daghmush was injured, while his son, who remains unnamed, was also a casualty. It is unclear whether he was wounded or killed. Hassan Daghmush, a lawyer and the family’s legal advisor, was killed.
Additional names were provided to Airwars by a journalist who was in contact with some of the family members, and are as follows:
Fares Abdel-Majid Daghmush was killed, as was Mahran Maher Moh Ali Daghmush and Tayseer Adel-Al Daghmush.
Two brothers, al-Asali Ashour al-Asali Daghmush and Moh Rafaat Awad Daghmush were killed.
Haitham Rafik Shaher Daghmush and nine-year old Asaad Moh Asaad Daghmush were also killed.
Omar Saddam Ashour Daghmush and Omar Shaher Ashour Daghmush were killed.
Salah Moh Eissa (Ayoub) Daghmush, Kanaan Saber Daghmush, Rakan Kanaan Saber Daghmush, and Moh Badr Saber Daghmush were killed.
Elias Moh Badr Daghmush, Fares Rami al-Ranoun Moh Daghmush, Abdel-Waddoud Mahmoud Daghmush, and Mahmoud Moataz Mithqal Daghmush were killed. Ahmed Moataz Mithqal Daghmush, Medhat Tawfik Bahri Daghmush, Medhat Ramzi Medhat Daghmush, and Mahmoud Ramzi Medhat Daghmush were also killed. Abdel-Raouf Tawfik Daghmush, Yazan Moh Medhat Daghmush, Ibrahim Nihad Riyad Daghmush, Ahmed Naim Deeb Daghmush, and Ali Rabah Ali Daghmush were killed.
21-year old Nizar Imad Rajab Daghmush was killed with several of his cousins: Haidar Fathi Massoud Daghmush, Khaled Fathi Massoud Daghmush, and Mustafa Yasser Nabil Daghmush.
Enayat Abdel-Ghani Daghmush, the cousin of Ahmed Moataz Mithqal Daghmush, was killed, as was her daughter, Nozha Abdel-Nabi Abdel-Ghani Daghmush. Their house was adjacent to the mosque, and they were killed in their home.
It is unknown whether some of these names account for the unnamed civilians listed earlier, or are repeats of some of the partial names found through open source research.
Among the injured were Mashhour Kamal Daghmush, Hamza Mansour, Abdulrahman Jamal Award Daghmush, and Mohammad Daghmush. The extent of the injuries are unknown, but most appeared critical. Images show at least one child among the injured.
A post on Facebook spoke of Hazel Daghmush’s professional dedication and talent. Rashad Ragheb, who had trained and later hired Hazel as a graphic designer, stated that he was “one of the most skilled designers” at the company, producing more than 50 designs a day, a “number that only professional designers are capable of.” He continued working even after the start of the conflict, and should be remembered as an “icon of excellence.”
Rashad also spoke of Muhammad Daghmush, describing him as having “the most beautiful smile.” Rashad described his appreciation for “a happy evening” at an event the two had been to a few months prior.
Many of those killed were found under rubble: journalist Ismail al-Ghoul, quoted by Free Journalism, reported that more than 50 people had been uncovered from under rubble, and all had been killed, adding that “dozens are still under the rubble until this moment.” A tweet from @basem_pal stated that Ahmed Daghmush had said that more than 100 members of the family were killed by the bombing of the mosque. On Facebook, a family member, Mohamed Mansour Daghmush, stated that others remained unidentified because of the “breakdown of communications.”
The strike occurred during sunset prayers. Due to fear of bombing, worshippers had combined Maghrib and Isha prayers. Part of the mosque wall completely collapsed.
Airwars was not able to reconcile any of the names of victims with the Ministry of Health list of victims’ names.