On July 13th 2024, at least 57 civilians were killed in a series of declared Israeli airstrikes near the al-Nas Junction in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip. Israel declared the strike was targeting top Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, said to be one of the architects behind the deadly October 7th attack in Israel. It later declared he had been killed in the attack, though this remains unconfirmed. Al-Mawasi had been declared a humanitarian safe zone in December 2023 and remained designated as such at the time of this bombing.

The Ministry of Health soon after the incident reported that at least 90 people had been killed. Airwars was able to identify full or partial names of 57 fatalities based on testimonies from relatives and survivors, which is included as our minimum fatality estimate. Additional reporting such as incidents of seven unidentified bodies arriving at a nearby hospital have not been included in the lower estimate given that these may be duplicates with named victims. The upper estimate for this incident is 150 civilians killed, accounting for local reporting that emerged following the strikes.

Israeli officials said immediately after the strike they had been targeting Deif and almost a month after the incident the Israeli Army announced that they had confirmation he had been killed. His death has not been confirmed by Hamas, and on August 15th Hamas leader Osama Hamdan stated that Deif was still alive after the attack. Neither the Israeli army or Hamdan provided any evidence to substantiate their claims.

At least three civil defence workers and one journalist were killed. It was unclear based on local reporting which civilians were killed in which strike, as reports detailed a series of strikes in quick succession, with Al Jazeera reporting “five bombs and five missiles”. The casualties listed in this incident reflect all strikes in that series, though Airwars will separate out these incidents should more information come to light.

In the morning of July 13th, the Palestinian Press Agency, Safa, reported “violent Israeli raids near al-Nas junction in Mawasi, Khan Yunis and dozens of martyrs and wounded.” The news outlet later that day quoted the Government Media Office’s announcement that “a major massacre by bombing camps for displaced people in the al-Nus area in Khan Yunis left more than 100 martyrs and wounded, including individuals and officers from the Civil Defence, according to a preliminary toll.”

Dozens of casualties arrived at Nasser Medical Complex, with Safa reporting that Gaza Civil Defence forces said that “there are still many bodies of martyrs scattered in the streets, under the rubble, and among the tents of the displaced [which] cannot be reached due to the large volume of bombing.”

By evening the Gaza Ministry of Health noted that the death toll was around 90 – reporting that half of the victims were children and women. Another 300 individuals were reported wounded, including dozens of children and women.

Leblad shared a video showing bombs dropping on Al-Mawasi. In the clip, a giant plume of smoke rises in the distance as people duck to the ground and hide behind cars, with makeshift tents erected around them. Similar photos and videos shared by Al Jazeera Palestine and the Palestinian Refugee Portal show a massive cloud of smoke rising over an expanse of tents.

The identities of 63 victims killed or injured in the strike have been identified by Airwars based on posts from friends, family and colleagues. Among those killed were at least four children and seven women.

Safa reported the death a Civil Defence member, Ahmed Hamouda, who was injured in the attack. Hamouda’s death reportedly brought the number of Civil Defence members killed during the attack to two. A potential relative of Hamouda, Muhammed R Hamode announced the death of his cousin Ahmed Zuhair Hamouda and shared a photo of Ahmed, though he did not state if he was a rescue worker.

Gaza Civil Defense forces, as reported by Shehab Agency, confirmed that another emergency worker, Bilal Ramadan Farhan, died from the serious injury he sustained in the strike. A social media post by Ahmed Saleh included a photo of two rescue workers carrying Bilal, who had incurred visible leg injuries and significant loss of blood.

Hossam Shabat shared a photo of the shrouded body of a third emergency responder Muhammad Musa Hamad (Abu Osama) and wrote that “Beit Hanoun bids farewell to one of its loyal men, one of the heroes of the Civil Defence Service. All of Beit Hanoun bears witness to your good behaviour and kindness.” Another photo shared by this account and others shows a uniformed body of a Civil Defence worker being carried over the shoulder by another man. Posting photographs of three dead bodies, Facebook user Musa Hamad grieved “the martyr / Muhammad Musa Hamad Abu Osama, martyr Ibrahim Rashid al-Masry, [and] the martyr / Muhammad Muhammad Kamal al-Shanbari.”

On the afternoon of July 13th, @Sa7atPlBreaking reported the death of “fellow journalist Muhammad Manhal Abu Armana (Abu Al-Abd) in the Al-Mawasi strike. Facebook user Khaled M Armana mourned his relative, writing “I am saddened by your departure, O Muhammad… I have learned nothing but the best about you, with a cheerful face, a beautiful nature, a man in the truest sense of the word.”

Basma Ziad shared a photo of a man named Muhammad Rawhi Aql on Facebook, writing that “with hearts overwhelmed by sadness and pain…my dear uncle Muhammad Rawhi Aql was martyred (Mawasi massacre in Khan Yunis).”

Ismail Njr reported the death of a man named Samer Zaki al-Agha, and shared a smiling photo of the deceased. Elagha.net mourned the death of “young Samer Zaki al-Agha and his mother” and shared that “the number of martyrs in the [Israeli] aircraft’s targeting of the Mawasi Khan Yunis area increased to 120, with more than 120 injuries.” The account also noted that the killed and injured victims, “were distributed among Khan Yunis hospitals: Kuwaiti, Nasser, and al-Amal.”

@Sa7atPlBreaking announced the death of “Shabab Khan Yunis club goalkeeper and the most prominent goalkeeper in the #Gaza Strip, Shadi Abu al-Araj” and shared a photograph of the athlete posing in his football uniform. On Facebook, Shadi’s relative Hany Abukar also mourned the goalkeeper and called attention to his family’s plight, writing that Shadi’s cousin, Fayez Musa Abu Akar was also killed in the incident. Hany shared smiling photos of the two men.

Facebook user Ahmed al-Shaer shared smiling photos of four young men, writing that these were “some of the martyrs of the Mawasi massacre in Khan Yunis today: the sons of al-Qatatawa in Khan Yunis.”

A number of members of the Abu Ghalwa family were reported as killed in the incident. Samy Mansour wrote that their young nephew, a child named Ahmed Abu Ghalwa, was killed in the strike. Mansour also shared a photo of the toddler Ahmed holding a toy and a second photo of the same boy’s dead body as it was being placed in a body bag following the Israeli strike.

Muthana Najjar offered condolences and prayers for healing to Ahmed’s grandfather, the photographer, Sami Abu Ghalwa and his brother and two sisters, after they were injured in the incident.

Later on July 18th, Mohamed Awad reported the death of the mother of Sami Abu Ghalwa from her injuries following the strike on Al-Mawasi five days earlier.

Ahmed Naeem mourned the killing of his cousin, Youssef Alaa Mahmoud Hamouda, in the al-Mawasi strike and shared a photo of the young boy.

Posting a smiling photo of his deceased relative, Hossam Nasr mourned his nephew, the young man Naeem Nabil Nasr, who was also killed in the bombing of Mawasi.

Muhammad Abu Amir al-Majayda mourned the death of his cousin Marwan al-Majayda and also shared a photo of the young man.

Muhammad Farwana Farwana Abuarkan posted a message in honour of Ghanem Amin Sadiq, sharing a photo of the deceased man’s body surrounded by mourners and writing “may God have mercy on you, neighbor.”

Samia Hejazy shared a photo of her nephew Muhammad Ihab Hegazy wearing a formal suit and smiling for the camera, with the caption “Oh God, comfort my sister’s heart in her great affliction with the martyrdom of her son (Muhammad Ihab Hegazy)”.

Mahmoud A Nejim posted a statement for Dr. Osama Nofal Abu Muhammad, who was also said to have been killed in the strike and shared a professional-looking photo of Dr. Muhmmad sitting at his desk with a Palestinian flag in the background.

Nusayba Musa shared a video of a man named Imad Abu Daqqa crying out in grief as he embraced the body of his elderly father, Khalil Abu Daqqa, a man in his eighties who was killed in Al-Mawasi. The post also explained that Khalil Abu Daqqa had lived his life working as a taxi driver in the eastern region of Khan Yunis. The post said that he “lived generously and fled as a refugee.”

Having just lost multiple family members, Facebook user Raed Sabbah expressed grief at the death of his mother-in-law, who was a teacher called Fatima Ali Miqdad (Umm Ghalib). He also mourned Fatima’s son, his wife’s brother, professor Ghalib Radwan Miqdad, and Aisha Jamal Miqdad (Qann). He said that they had been killed in the strike on Al-Mawasi after seeking safety there.

Sharing a photo of a smiling young man superimposed in front of the al-Aqsa Mosque, Moen Abuazab mourned the death of his brother, Moaz Ibrahim Abu Azab (Abu Yazan). The post read, “Moaz was a kind young man with a compassionate heart, loved by everyone. He lived his life loyal to his religion and his country.”

A Facebook page for ‘The Qatatawa Tribe’ mourned the loss of one of their relatives, Samer Anwar Abu Sahloul and shared a smiling photo of the young man from before his passing.

Ahmed Zanon mourned the death of his cousin Youssef Nabil Zanoun and shared a smiling photo of Youssef wearing a keffiyeh and making a peace sign.

Ahmed Abdel Hadi wrote that “my cousin, my beloved, and the one closest to my heart, Othman Nafez Abdel Hadi, died as a martyr in a bombing that targeted the tents of displaced persons in Mawasi, Khan Yunis, this afternoon…I will miss you, Abu Anad, I swear.” Photos and videos on Othman’s Facebook page purportedly show the moment of his death, “where he was working on transferring and evacuating the wounded and martyrs, and he was shouting at the passer-by to help the injured.”

Eman Banat reported that her relative, Kayed Nabil Abu Seif, had passed away following the strike and shared a photo of the man with a heart emoji added to the image.

Beñ Śbaå Mârwä shared a photograph of Haitham Abdel Razzaq Abu Taima, and mourned that “the young man…a resident of the new town of Abasan, was among the victims of the #Mawasi_Khan Yunis massacre.” The Facebook user wrote that Haitham joined his brothers Hammam and Imran in heaven.

Tawfiq Ziad offered “great condolences and sympathy” to the Kaware’ family following the killed of their brother Sufyan Kaware as a result of the bombing of displaced persons’ tents in Al-Mawasi and shared a photo of Sufyan smiling for the camera.

Ahmed M. Chakra mourned the child, Siraj Safwat al-Shaqra, “the nephew of the martyr Khamis” and shared a photo of Siraj. Facebook user Prince Falaha expressed that “with hearts that believe in God’s will, we console ourselves, the family of the deceased, and all the members of the Al-Shaqra family in the death of the two martyrs, cousin Khamis Hani Ali al-Shaqra [and] Siraj Safwat Taysir Ali al-Shaqra,” sharing smiling photos of the deceased as well.

Rabah Abu Kweik grieved the death of their cousin, the young man, Muhammad Imad Abu Kweik in the Khan Yunis attack and shared a smiling photo of Muhammad.

Mourning Naeem Abdel Qader, Dr. Khalil Abdel Qader wrote on Facebook that “my brother Naeem (Abu Abdel Qader) was counted before God as a martyr, God willing, in the raids that took place today in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area.” Soha Naeem penned a poetic and heartbreaking tribute to her father, Naeem Abdel Qader Abu Laila, writing that “You have always been the first source of pride for me and my brothers. Why not, when you are the patient man, the one who trusts, the one who is rewarded. The blessings of a parent who is nurturing, pious, pure, ascetic, and worshipful, who recites the Qur’an. Continuing the ties of kinship, cutting off backbiting and gossiping, bearing witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God… My dear, martyr father, Naeem Abdel Qader Abu Laila.”

Lotfi Zarrai announced the death of an Algerian doctor, a woman named Wahiba Ait Mezghat and shared a photo of the physician posing for the camera.

Sharing selfies of his loved one, Abu Alam Kalb wrote that his cousin, a man named Shadi Hamdi al-Hajjar was killed in the strike.

Diwan Al Sehwail posted a collage of photos of Mahmoud Rafiq Sehwail who “died as a result of his wounds.”

In honour of a man named Waheeb Sayyed Mohieddin al-Zard Abu Louay, his brother Mohieddin Sayed al-Zard posted that “it will be the last sorrow for the entire nation and may peace, security, stability and love prevail” alongside a photo.

An account called Amen Amen grieved Ayman Fadl Fayyad alongside his photo.

Sedra Kabes posted “this is not a scene in a foreign movie. This was yesterday in the Al-Mawasi massacre” and shared a graphic photograph of their cousin, a man named Ahmed Younis al-Masry who “was selling on his stall until the [Israeli military] planes came and blew off his foot.” The picture shows Ahmed sitting in a wheelbarrow with one of his feet blown off.

Mohammed Alhindi posted on Facebook that he’d received news of the death of his uncle Hajj Farouk al-Hindi (Abu Haitham). Mohammed also reported that “all members of his family were injured in the Al-Mawasi massacre.” Mohammad shared a photograph of his late Uncle Farouk.

Sharing a photo of a young boy, a Facebook account for the Alakkad Family offered the family’s best wishes for recovery for Hamed Muhammad Ahmed Hamid al-Aqqad after he suffered a minor injury to his foot during the incident.

Abu Muhammad Qaoud shared details about death of his son, 13-year-old Mahmoud Akram Qaoud, who was killed “while he was sleeping in the Mawasi massacre in Khan Yunis.” Abu Muhammad described how his son’s “young and torn remains were mixed with the soil of this country” and how “I saw death with my own eyes when its claws sank… and I watched the night when it attacked the morning, ferocious and overwhelming it.” The boy’s father also wrote that “I will not forget you, Mahmoud, until I leave my country and my grave is cut open” and thanked God that “the rest of my family members were saved from certain death.”

Rahaf Mazen mourned the death of Sameh Jamal Abu Anza in the “Mawasi massacre” and shared a photo of the young man.

On July 16th Facebook user Eslayeh posted a video of the wife of the Bassam Abdel Ata Ammar, who was killed in the al-Mawasi strike. She stands next to the tent where they had been staying after they were displaced from their home in Khan Younis. She shows the camera her husband’s notebook which she found under his bed following his death. Bassam Ammar had written extensively about his fear and hopelessness because of the war. She points to where he had written phrases on the fabric of their makeshift tent that described their reality. Eslayeh wrote that Bassam’s death left an entire family without a breadwinner.

On July 17th Dooa Kh Al Batran expressed grief over the death of her husband, Nadim, praying “may God grant me patience with your separation and give me strength…My dear husband is a martyr. Goodbye, my lifelong companion.” She shared a photo of Nadeem dressed in a suit and tie as well as a photo of his body following the airstrike.

On July 18th Yasser al-Issawi shared a smiling photo of his late brother Ashraf al-Issawi and mourned his death in the Al-Mawasi strike. Yasser posted about his brother by writing that he was “one of those who prays and who reads the Qur’an, has a kind heart, is a good-natured person, has a sweet tongue, and has a cheerful face.”

Mohamed Awad shared a list of 35 names of victims who were killed in this bombing, many of whom have already been listed above. Eight other male victims, whose ages were not specified, were identified. They were Safwat Muhammad Shaaban, Alian Muhammad Khafaja, Thaer Al-Ashqar, Rami Samir Al-Madhoun, Hani Ali Al-Shaqra, Nael Al Zoghbi, and Mahmoud Raed Sahloul. A woman or girl named Souad Al-Amawi was also listed as a killed victim.

Similarly, Mahmoud Abu Znada posted a list of victims on Facebook. He additionally identified a man or boy named Fadi Abu Ismail as killed in the incident.

Diaa Abu Aoun and Alquds shared photos of the destroyed tent camp as survivors cried and sorted through the wreckage. Hakam Alhayaly posted a video of an injured or killed man in which a young girl named Mariam Daqqa cries “I wish it was me and not you” after her “brother was killed by the [Israeli military] in the Mawasi massacre.”

In a Facebook post about the strike, Ahmed Abu Qais wrote that “the area was completely wiped out, continuous bombing, genocide. Corpses scattered in the streets. More than 150 martyrs so far and about 300 innocent women and children injured. Every time ambulances and civil defense vehicles approached, they bombed them.” Abu Qais also shared videos of the destruction. A child can be seen crawling across the rubble while fires burn around them.

Online, several sources shed light on the scale of human devastation caused by the Israeli strike, with some such as Mahmoud Abu Znada Media Platform and Mohamed Awad sharing lists of civilian victims who had been identified and images showing the bloody aftermath of the bombing. Facebook user Siham-Haifa Daoud posted a video showing dozens of bodies inside a morgue and being unloaded from ambulances by emergency workers. Journalist Jihad Taha shared extremely graphic photos of seven “unidentified martyrs in the Nasser morgue in Khan Yunis from the Mawasi massacre.” Adly Abuta also posted photos of some of the bodies of victims of the strike, most of whom were in white, labelled body bags.

A number of high-profile international news outlets reported on the strike as well. According to NBC News, “Israeli strikes killed at least 90 people and injured hundreds more in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis on Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials, in an operation the Israel Defense Forces said targeted two top Hamas officials, including Mohammed Deif, the head of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.” According to the BBC, “In a news conference on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu said he gave the order for the al-Mawasi operation to go ahead after being briefed by his general security forces.” According to the CBC, “displaced people sheltering in the area said their tents were torn down by the force of the strike, describing bodies and body parts strewn on the ground.” The Canadian outlet also reported that “al-Mawasi is a designated humanitarian area that the Israeli army has repeatedly urged Palestinians to head to after issuing evacuation orders from other areas.”

On August 1, 2024, the official @IsraelArabic Twitter/X account declared that “the IDF officially announces that it has eliminated the so-called Mohammed Deif…” The source further explained that “the elimination operation was carried out in a raid carried out by the Air Force aircraft on the place where he was hiding with the so-called Rafeh Salama, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade in Hamas.” This is documentation of the elimination operation of Mohammed Deif and a picture of him with Rafeh Salama, who was also eliminated.” A photograph of the two men and an aerial video of the strike are included in the post.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. As published in the Times of Israel and NBC, the Israeli Military has confirmed that they conducted this airstrike in order to kill Mohammed Deif. Therefore, this incident has been graded as a “declared strike”.

As the IDF has not confirmed civilian casualties, saying that it was a “fenced Hamas area”. The Guardian reported that IDF said that most people there were militants.

The corresponding munitions identification code in the Open Source Munitions Portal is OSMP620.

The local time of the incident is unknown.