At around 11 AM on Tuesday, 16th July 2024, at least 17 civilians, including three women, at least eight children, and a Palestinian journalist, were killed, and up to 72 civilians were injured in a declared Israeli airstrike on Al-Razi School, affiliated with the UNRWA relief agency and sheltering displaced people. The school was located in Camp 2 of Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip. A fire also reportedly broke out from the strike. One member of Hamas’ militant wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, was also killed.

The Israeli Defense Forces wrote about the strike on its Telegram channel at 15:25 on Tuesday, writing: “A short while ago, based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF struck terrorists who were operating in a UNRWA school in the area of Nuseirat. The terrorists planned and directed numerous attacks against IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken in order to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, precise munitions, and additional intelligence.”

When Airwars first published this incident on December 15, 2024, no open sources were found to suggest that Abdullah Saleh Muhammad al-Faqi was a militant. As such, Abdullah was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status‘. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.

On June 18, 2026, Hamas published a tribute to Abdullah Saleh Muhammad al-Faqih, naming his as a field commander. As such, Airwars updated Abdullah al-Faqih’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 18 to 17.

At 15:02, the Safa news agency reported the incident, mentioning seven civilians killed and 48 injured. At 15:12, it updated the information, writing about 14 deaths and 50 injuries, and at 15:20 updated the death toll to 20.

At 15:50, Twitter/X user @tamerqdh reported 23 civilians killed. Facebook users Mohamed Awad and Sahar Isam reported that the number of injured civilians reached 72.

Social media sources helped Airwars to identify the names of 18 civilians killed in the strike.

Seven members of the Zaqout family were killed in the attack on the school, most of them children.

29-year-old Heba Yahya Zaqout was killed alongside her three children: two-year-old daughter Suwar Bassam Muhammad Zaqout, six-year-old son named Bilal Bassam Muhammad Zaqout, and four-year-old son named Muhammad Bassam Muhammad Zaqout. In a Facebook post by user Amal Hadad, Heba was pictured alongside her children.

Three other members of the family – Islam Khalifa Zaqout, Hussam’s wife, along with their daughters, 10-year-old Layan Hussam Muhammad Zaqout and eight-year-old Lama Hussam Muhammad Zaqout, were also killed, according to Facebook posts by users Vluchtelingen in Nederland and Atihad Shabab Eayilat Zaqout Asdod.

There were two members of the Musameh family who had been reportedly killed in this incident: a 36-year-old man named Islam Rafiq Abu Musameh and a 41-year-old woman named Louay Ibrahim Abu Musameh. Islam’s cousin Umm Wadee posted a tribute to him on Facebook saying, “We are grieved by your departure” along with another cousin, Ahmed Abo Wesam. Ayman Al Hafi also shared on Facebook that Islam’s brother and his brother’s family had been killed earlier in the war.

In an image shared by Amal Hadad, the late Islam is seen dressed in a light-blue military-style cap and the uniform of a Palestinian national law-enforcement body.

41-year-old Muhammad Abdullah Mishmash (Abu Dhar), journalist and Program Director at “Sawt Al-Aqsa” Radio, was also reportedly killed alongside his son, 15-year-old Al-Baraa Muhammad Mishmash, and their pictures were widely circulated. Facebook tributes came in from many, including user Tareq Mohammed, a former school friend; user Sameera Saleh Nassar, a colleague; and user Talat Al Mufti, a well-wisher, who said they were “saddened.”

The death of Muhammad was also covered by Khabar24 News, Alarabiya Palestine, Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, and Qanat al Quds. Al Jazeera’s Tamer Almisshal, in his tribute, called Muhammad a “calm journalist and well-mannered broadcaster.”  Reem Nassar and Amal Hadad shared the news on Facebook, along with a picture of the father and son dressed in suits. Talat Al Mufti also shared an image of Muhammad working with earphones.

“In early June 2024, Israeli warplanes bombed Mohamed’s family home in the Nuseirat camp, killing about 30 people from the family, including Mohamed’s parents,” Khaled Meshmesh, Mohamed’s uncle, told the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Mohamed and his family were displaced to a school designated for displaced people in the camp … At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16, Israeli warplanes bombed the school, killing Mohamed and his son,” Khaled Meshmesh said.

Meshmesh’s colleague and friend of 17 years, Khalil Abu Shaaban, told CPJ that dozens were killed in the UNRWA school bombing. “Mohamed was distinguished by his good and friendly relations with everyone. He listened to everyone and expressed his opinion with boldness and objectivity. He was a true voice defending our cause and our people, confronting Israeli propaganda, and working to raise awareness among our people,” Abu Shaaban said.

Meshmesh had three daughters in addition to his son Al-Baraa, who was killed with him, Khaled Meshmesh and Abu Shaaban said.

Deputy Director of Nusairat Police Station, 43-year-old Salem Muhammad Matar (Abu Musab), was another reported casualty. A Facebook tribute from his cousin Neven Qashlan described their “grief” and “pain” at their loss. There were also additional Facebook posts, including a picture of Salem in a buttoned-up shirt with a pen clipped on.

Another police officer, 25-year-old Muhammad Jamal Al-Diraawi, was also among the victims killed in this incident. His cousin Ibrahim Qatyef posted a tribute to him with his picture in a black police uniform on Facebook.

26-year-old Ahmed Hassan Muslim Al-Halou was also killed. Omar Naaem posted on Facebook offering condolences to Dr. Imad Muslim Al-Halou over the killing of his nephew.

A seven-year-old girl named Batoul Muhammad Al-Turk was also reportedly killed. Facebook users Amal Hadad and Um Mohammed Al-Turk posted a picture of her, a small girl with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a dark blue dress embroidered with pink flowers.

A sixteen-year-old child named Samir Muhammad Abu Funouneh was among those killed. His uncle Rafat Samir and family member Tareq Abo Ahmed also posted on Facebook about Samir’s death alongside other well-wishers. He was pictured in jeans and a t-shirt and carrying a weapon. Based on Samir’s age, the context of this photo, and the wider posts and testimonies about Samir, this has not been taken to indicate militant status. This will be updated should further information come to light.

Finally, the killing of Muhammad Ayash was reported by many on Facebook, including Hassan Eslayeh Sahafi, Yaser Yousif, Sally Thabit, and more.

After the initial strike, images were shared showing that a fire had broken out. A video of the incident tweeted by @tamerqdh showed locals gathered around heavy smoke as they used a hose to put out the fire. A photo posted on Facebook by Sahar Isam also showed a lot of smoke amidst the rubble. The Palestinian Red Crescent was reportedly called to the scene to help with injuries and deaths.

A post from Palestinian Refugee Portal included images of “Al-Aqsa Hospital receiving the martyrs and wounded of the UNRWA Al-Razi School,” with one image showing a boy or young man being treated for an arm injury and a teenage girl being treated on a floor for an injury on her side.

The main photos that were widely shared of the incident included aerial shots of a large crowd congregating on the street amidst the commotion and several more showing the wider damage to the building on the ground. On Palestine TV, a young girl named Sarah narrated what happened at the incident.

Several individuals, including @MhmedPs on X, also posted a video of Palestine TV correspondent Fouad Jarada’s voice breaking as he reported on the scene, which featured partially-blurred corpses with blankets over them laid on the floor with blood marks. The video was captioned: “Even we journalists are tired of these scenes.”

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, names are matched to the fifth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 30, 2024.

On April 10, 2025, this incident was updated to reflect new information about Muhammad Abdullah Mishmash found in additional sources.