On Saturday, November 16, 2024, at least 10 people were reportedly killed and 20 injured, including women and children, following suspected Israeli airstrikes on Abu Asi School in the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, located near the beach, west of Gaza City.

Multiple reports similar to Belafkih Chennaoui’s post describe “severed heads and charred bodies” at the scene of the attack resulting in 10 people killed and “a number of wounded”. On Twitter/X, @mokafih3000 initially recounted “dozens of injured” while Aalam Falsten released a death toll of “11 martyrs”. Most sources reported 10 people killed and 20 injured.

Airwars researchers identified three victims, including two children, via Ameera Falsten, Smsm Bskota and other sources. They were identified as Hanan Hamada Salah, who was described as a child but whose age was not specified, 13-year-old Saba Jaser Abu Awad, and a young woman, 20-year-old Israa Imad Abu Hajeb. Following their deaths, friends and relatives took to social media to share their condolences.

Facebook user Jazyer Stinia offered prayers for Hanan, Saba and Israa, requesting that “God have mercy on them”.

Abo Yaser Alfirey, a close friend of Saba Jaser Abu Awad’s father, Jasser Abu Awad, along with Salah Salem, Saba’s paternal great-aunt, shared their grief and offered words of sorrow to the family on Facebook. In a text reposted by Ayman Ali, the journalist Mahmoud Abu Awad wrote about the death of his cousin’s daughter, who was killed “in the blink of an eye” while “playing with her friends”. He described an intense attack resulting in the victims’ “flesh mixed with their bones and no trace of their heads remained”. Abo Yaser Alfirey shared a photograph from happier times: a smiling Saba.

Additionally, Baraa Muhanna, the maternal uncle of Israa Imad Abu Hajeb, extended his condolences to Israa’s father, Saif, and the Abu Hajeb family. He described Israa as a “woman of good character.” Israa’s maternal grandfather, Al Modarb Abo Al Baraa, shared a photograph on Facebook featuring her wearing a white lab coat and a lanyard in a facility, hinting at her interest in the medical field. Israa was a young woman with a radiant smile.

According to Al Markz Al Orobi Al Falsteni, Abu Asi School sheltered “thousands of displaced people” before it was struck with two missiles during the evening local time. Castle Journal revealed that the school was affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Ismail Serroukh recalled on Facebook that “the school has been bombed more than once in the context of this war” and Al Markaz Orobi Al Falsteni referenced a previous “incursion into Al-Shati camp several months ago” by Israeli forces.

A video relayed by Ahmed Shokr on Facebook, recorded minutes after the incident, shows people collecting the severed limbs of victims from beneath the rubble. Another video, shared by Al-Jazeera Palestine and reposted on Facebook, captures a woman in a state of panic, describing how the victims’ bodies were crushed and entangled beyond recognition. On Twitter/X, @mokafih3000 shared footage of people lying injured on the ground outside heavily damaged school buildings, as bystanders tended to victims – including children – amid lingering smoke. Additionally, @islambader_1988 recorded scenes of victims being carried in blankets into vehicles for emergency care.

Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the eighth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.