Airwars assessment
Six people were reported killed and at least eight others injured after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Shurrab family home in Khan Younis on 4 December, 2023. The bombardment of the home, located near the Halima Mosque, resulted in deaths across three generations of family members.
The patriarch of the family, 57-year-old Muhammad Rashid Ibrahim Shurrab (Abu Akram) was killed with his wife, Ghada Mohammad Hafez Shurrab. Their granddaughter, seven-year-old Sana Abdul Khalif al-Farra was killed, as was their daughter-in-law, 23-year-old Lubna Shukri al-Najjar. A neighbour, 36-year-old Nuha Naim Saleh al-Agha was also killed, as was another member of the Shurrab family, 57-year-old Hamad Rashid Shurrab.
On social media, most of the condolences centred on seven-year-old Sana. A year after the strike, on 4 December, 2024, Sana’s mother Nada Shurrab wrote a memorial for her family. Writing on the anniversary of “the martyrdom of [her] daughter, […] and the martyrdom of [her] mother, father and sister-in-law… I cannot find words and cannot even express the extent of my sadness.”
Nada emphasised that she was one of many: “I am one of thousands of grieving mothers who lost their children and loved ones.” Nada spoke of her religion: “all I can do is thank God and pray to Him to pour patience into my heart and the hearts of all those who lost their loved ones.” She asked that God “relieve our distress and compensate us with compensation that the angels of heaven and earth are amazed at.” She shared several photos of her family, including one of Sana as an infant, and a photograph of a middle-aged couple, presumably her parents, Ghada and Muhammad.
On the day of the strike, Shimaa Mohammed wrote a Facebook post remembering Sana as the child of her “dear friend” Nada, mourning her as a “beautiful child” and praying that Nada be “reward[ed]” for the death of her “child, […] mother, […] father, and […] brother’s wife”. Shimma attached a picture of Sana in a printed blouse, smiling at the camera. A graphic photo of Sana was shared by Facebook user “Story of a Palestinian Refugee” which showed the child post-death, wrapped in a body bag.
Omar Ali Awad Al-Minawi emphasised the qualities of the Shurrab family, remembering Muhammad Shurrab as a “beloved and virtuous neighbor” and Ghada as “virtuous and generous.” He shared another photograph of Sana, dressed as a princess, holding a potted rose. Twitter/X user @noahghoneim also shared a video of Sana wearing a variety of princess-styled costumes. Facebook user Maricarmen Swairky shared a video of Sana dancing and twirling in front of the camera.
Mahmoud Shurrab, a nephew of the deceased, also remembered his “beloved” uncle and aunt, Muhammad and Ghada.
The Facebook page for the [al-Agha] Family specified that Nuha al-Agha was killed after she was “hit by shrapnel from [alleged] Israeli missiles” which had hit – and partially destroyed – the home of Walid al-Agha, a neighbour of the Shurrabs. User Omar Algha wrote that Nuha had died “while praying” and celebrated her past religious achievements, namely that she had been involved with the “‘Elite Memorizers’ project,” an undertaking which involved “recit[ing] the Quran in one session, by heart.”
Noora Ayman, the cousin of Luba al-Najjar, grieved the loss of her family member, writing that with her death “nothing remains but memories.” Shaaban [al-Najjar], Lubna’s sibling, mourned the loss of their sister, “the last of the bunch.”
Tareq Shurrab alleged that in addition to those confirmed dead, others were still “under the rubble of the house.” Twitter/X user @Timesofgaza specified that there had been “8 injuries reported so far.” The Alagha Family Facebook page, the only other source mentioning injuries, reported only “a number”. No identifying information has been publicly shared.
@_CarlosWaldir shared a photograph of a funeral service for the deceased: seven body bags attended by “Relatives of Palestinians from the Sharab family […] pray[ing] along with medical staff in front of their wrapped bodies.” The service was held outside Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital.
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 is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the second ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on January 7th, 2024.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (5)
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (40) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (33) [ collapse]
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