Around 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 13th, 2024, at least 55 identified civilians and up to 150 civilians were killed, and up to 300 civilians were injured in a series of declared Israeli airstrikes at a compound near the al-Nas Junction in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. Israel declared the strike was targeting top Hamas military commander, 58-year-old 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. Rafa Salama, the head of Hamas’s Khan Younis brigade and a close associate of Deif, was also killed in the strike. Twitter/X account @visegrad24 alleged that “a dozen Hamas top commanders” were killed in the strikes, but other sources did not corroborate this information.

Al-Mawasi, on the Mediterranean shoreline, had been declared a humanitarian safe zone and “evacuation zone” in December 2023 and remained designated as such at the time of this bombing, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

According to journalist Firas Abu Sharkh, the Israeli forces “directly targeted” civil defence and Ministry of Health teams working to recover the dead and wounded in the strike, which makes the incident a “double-tap strike.” The media outlet National also wrote that, according to witnesses, five rockets struck an area where the displaced were gathering to cook, and a civil defense vehicle was hit while attempting to rescue the injured.“Israeli forces committing new massacres against displaced areas, the Israeli forces also targeted the civil defence team who were rushing to the area to rescue people,” said the director of civil defence in Khan Younis, Yamen Abu Suliman.

According to the Twitter/X post by @outpostosint, eight civil defense members were injured in this incident, three of them critically injured. The Director General of Civil Defense said in a statement on Saturday, 07/13/2024, that “Israeli occupation aircraft targeted this building again while civil defense crews were working there and trying to rescue the wounded and recover the martyrs.”

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 55 fatalities and seven injuries 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.

However, on January 30th, 2025,  one of Hamas’s leaders, Abu Obeida, confirmed the killing of Mohammed Deif in this attack. The spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said his death was “befitting”. “This is befitting of our leader Mohammed Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years,” Abu Obeida said in a recorded video statement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also claimed that Rafa Salama, the head of Hamas’s Khan Younis brigade, was also targeted and successfully “neutralised” in the same strike. The Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Aswat reported that Hamas sources had confirmed Salama’s death.

At least three civil defence workers and one journalist were killed, while one photographer was injured. 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 showed a massive cloud of smoke rising over an expanse of tents.

The identities of 62 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 three women.

Safa reported the death of a Civil Defence member, 27-year-old Ahmed Zuhair Ahmed Hamouda, who was previously 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, Colonel, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Department 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.” Muhammad Muhammad Kamal al-Shanbari was 23 years old at the time of his death,  while Ibrahim Rashid al-Masry was only 14, according to Shireen Monitor.

On the afternoon of July 13th, @Sa7atPlBreaking reported the death of fellow journalist Muhammad Manhal Ahmed Abu Armana (Abu Al-Abd) in the Al-Mawasi strike. Muhammad was a 32-year-old Palestinian journalist and photographer for the local pro-Hamas news agency Palestine Now. According to the report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Muhammad was capturing pictures of the casualties and aid work after alleged Israeli airstrikes killed displaced Palestinians living in tents in al-Mawasi, a coastal southern Gaza area designated a humanitarian zone, when a missile from an Israeli drone killed him instantly.

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.”

Muhammad’s friend, freelance photographer Firas Abu Sharkh, was injured in this strike, according to a CPJ report. Middle East Eye mentioned Firas in its report, writing that he was reporting from the scene and claimed Israeli forces “directly targeted” civil defence and Ministry of Health teams working to recover the dead and wounded in Mawasi.

Basma Ziad shared a photo of a 38-year-old man named Muhammad Rawhi Mahmoud 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 31-year-old man named Samer Zaki Musa 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 Fayez Hammad Abu al-Araj” and shared a photograph of the athlete posing in his football uniform. Shadi was 36 years old. On Facebook, Shadi’s relative Hany Abukar also mourned the goalkeeper and called attention to his family’s plight, writing that Shadi’s cousin, 19-year-old Fayez Musa Awda 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, the two-year-old child named Ahmed Adham Sami 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, 18-year-old 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 30-year-old cousin Marwan Essam Yousef al-Majayda and also shared a photo of the young man.

Muhammad Farwana Farwana Abuarkan posted a message in honor of 33-year-old Ghanem Amin Ghanem 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 25-year-old nephew Muhammad Ihab Hamid 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 69-year-old mother-in-law, a teacher named Fatima Ala Hamdan 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, 33-year-old Moaz Ibrahim Suleiman 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, 17-year-old Samer Anwar Suleiman Abu Sahloul, and shared a smiling photo of the young man from before his passing.

Ahmed Zanon mourned the death of his 19-year-old cousin Youssef Nabil Jamel 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, 46-year-old Kayed Nabil Khalil 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 28-year-old Haitham Abdel Razzaq Jmuaah 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 had joined his brothers Hammam and Imran in heaven.

Tawfiq Ziad offered “great condolences and sympathy” to the Kaware family following the killing of their 33-year-old brother, Sufyan Mohammad Ahmed 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 20-year-old Siraj Safwat Muhammad Tayseer 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, 35-year-old 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, 19-year-old Muhammad Imad Khalil Abu Kweik, in the Khan Yunis attack and shared a smiling photo of Muhammad.

Mourning 69-year-old Naeem Abdel Qader Muhammad Abu Laila, 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, an adult 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 32-year-old man named Shadi Hamdi Hamid al-Hajjar, was killed in the strike.

Diwan Al Sehwail posted a collage of photos of 20-year-old Mahmoud Rafiq Ahmed Sehwail, who “died as a result of his wounds.”

In honour of 42-year-old man 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 22-year-old Ayman Fadl Muhammad 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, 46-year-old Hajj Farouk Abdo Mohammad 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 the 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 27-year-old Sameh Jamal Abdel Majeed 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 49-year-old Bassam Abdel Ata Mahmoud 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, 28-year-old Nadim Naji Ghazi Misran, 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 52-year-old brother Ashraf Shaker Saeedal-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 were identified. They were 45-year-old man Safwat Muhammad Shaaban, 17-year-old child Alian Muhammad Hamdan Khafaja, Thaer Al-Ashqar, 43-year-old Rami Samir Mohammad Al-Madhoun, 25-year-old Nael Mohammed Mahmoud Al Zoghbi, and 20-year-old Mahmoud Raed Nazmi Abu 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 37-year-old, Fadi Mohammed Ahmad Abu Ismail, as killed in the incident.

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released six lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars matches individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, some of the victims’ names are matched to the Sixth “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on September 26, 2024.

Some names and ages of the victims were found using Shireen Monitor, an organisation that has a list of “Martyrs of Palestine” from 2023 onward and includes thousands of names.

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 labeled 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.” In another report, NBC wrote, ” Footage captured by Reuters showed hundreds of men, women and children running away from a large plume of smoke on the horizon. Many carried their bloodied and unconscious injured slung over their arms or on makeshift stretchers. Smoke from a flaming and blown-out vehicle fogged the air as a woman wept amid the chaos. “They’re all gone, my whole family’s gone,” she said. “Where are my brothers? They’re all gone, they’re all gone. There’s no one left.”

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.” BBC also wrote that the strike looked like an “earthquake” had hit, referring to an eyewitness. 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.” Guardian also reported the incident, noting that “Residents said they witnessed at least five big warplanes bombing in the middle of al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.”

Middle East Eye recounted the events with the help of eyewitnesses. Nabil Walid, based in Khan Younis, told the media that a missile hit the Ajrar gas complex, which led to an explosion, while another struck a water desalination plant.  “Horrors. About six f-16 planes dropped bombs down on us in Nasser road, around the area of the Sultan water station,” he said, saying people were thrown all over the ground. Nabil added, “First the strikes [hit] the ground, and then on a residential building, and then after all this, the planes didn’t leave the area. From 11 am till now, the quadcopters are surrounding the area.” Aida Abed Mahmoud Hamdi told MEE she was baking when the first strike hit. “I grabbed my daughter and we started running outside. I threw the dough and it was covered with sand. The kids came around me, hungry wanting to eat,” she said. “The strikes came one after the other. Even those around me, some of them died –  men, women and young people.” She said that she saw the bodies of children among the civilians killed in the strike.

According to French media Le Monde, which quoted the director of the Kuwaiti field hospital in Rafah, Suhaib Al-Hams, “Most of the wounded in the strike were transferred to his facility were seriously injured, with some undergoing amputations. “A real disaster is happening now amid the collapse of the healthcare system,” Al-Hams said in a statement. Another French media outlet, France 24, quoted a Palestinian man who did not give his name, “Children were all martyred here. We collected their pieces with our hands,” he said. He estimated there were seven or eight missiles and asserted that first responders were targeted, too.  The media also mentioned Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees who visited the hospital and spoke with several patients. According to her, there were no cleaning products left and there was “the overwhelming stench of blood.” “The blast threw a 2-year-old child into the air, and the child’s mother was still missing,” Wateridge said. “Another boy had his feet blown off, while an 8-year-old boy was killed,” she added.

At the hospital, a baby in a pink shirt, her face covered with sand, cried while receiving first aid. A small boy lay motionless at the other end of the bed, one shoe gone. Many wounded were treated on the floor.

According to a lengthy report by the Wall Street Journal, the strikes happened around 10:30 AM, and  Mahmoud Abu Amer, who said he was standing about 100 yards away at the time, described the scene as being “like a fiery belt” and said, “I saw people falling in front of me.” Others described a rain of shrapnel. The WSJ also included the testimony by another eyewitness, a paramedic named Baha Abu Rukba, who lived in a camp near the compound. Baha told the reporters that he heard an unusual, deafening whistle—the sound of what he thought was a missile streaking by. He said he began filming with his phone as munitions flew past, followed by a succession of explosions. Shrapnel rained down on the area, and smoke filled the air, he said. Abu Rukba and a friend ran to the strike zone to provide first aid and check on family.  “We found the scene like a slaughterhouse,” Abu Rukba said. His friend’s family suffered some injuries but survived. “It’s truly a miracle,” he said.

WST also wrote that Scott Anderson, Gaza-based director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, visited the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Younis and said he saw patients lying on the floor for lack of space, wounded children including amputees and shortages of equipment. “I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza,” he said in a message from the hospital.

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. In a press conference Saturday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the attack was a “targeted strike on a Hamas compound surrounded by trees, buildings and sheds, and not a tent complex.” Therefore, this incident has been graded as a “declared strike”.

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

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

On April 15, 2025, this incident was updated to reflect new information about civilian casualties and circumstances of the strike found in additional sources.

The incident occured at approximately 10:30 am local time.