On October 19th, 2024, the Israeli military allegedly bombed the UNRWA affiliated Asmaa school in the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City. At least seven people were killed and there were reports of a number of injuries as well. Among those killed were: Hesham Idris Al-Sheikh Mahmoud, Imad Jabr Abu Asr, Youssef Mohammed Shaheen, Mahmoud Abdullah Abu Al-Qura, and Mohamed Sami Abdel Jawad Jouda. An unidentified woman and child were also reportedly killed. Two militants, Mohammed Walid Shraim and Hussein Abdullah Al-Jojo were also reportedly killed.

Three of the men, including Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo, and Youssef Mohamed Shaheen appear to have been members of the police force. While armed groups in Gaza are known to contribute personnel to the Gaza police force, as Airwars did not find any connection between these two men and an armed group, they have been considered among the count of those civilians killed. This will be updated should additional information come to light.

When publishing this incident, Airwars looked at Hussein’s personal Facebook account, which seemed to confirm that he was a member of the police force. On April 8th, 2022, Youssef shared a video from the Rabat University College, a college in Gaza known for training those in the security services. Accompanying the video, Youssef wrote “Military parade for students of Rabat University College… My college, I am proud of it”.

Along with this, Airwars found no open sources were found to suggest that Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo was a militant. As such, Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo 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 August 6, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo’s status from civilian to militant.

Hussein’s son and daughter also posted in his memory. Youssef’s son, Abdallah Aljojo, posted an image to Facebook in which his father is seen in a blue police uniform. Hussein’s daughter, Hedaya Hussein, posted a tribute to her father the day after the strike, sharing an image of a man with dark hair, wearing a suit, and holding a young girl who wears a pink shirt and leggings, black denim dress, and has her hair in pigtails. The girl is presumably Hedaya and the man Hussein.

A friend named Mohammed Yaseen posted an image of himself next to what appears to be Hussein Abdullah al-Jojo’s burial site.

Mohammed Walid Shraim was also reportedly a member of the police force and was originally recorded as a civilian. However, on May 17, 2026, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published a list of commanders killed since October 7, 2023. An image of Mohammed was shared, and he was identified as a “Platform Commander – Central Operations Unit – Gaza Brigade”. As such, Airwars changed his status from civilian to militant.

Hesham Idris Al-Sheikh Mahmoud (Abu Ouda) was reportedly a judge from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City. His uncle Abo Al Nemr al Khateeb posted to Facebook after his death memorializing his loss and included a photo of Hesham in a blue suit and tie sitting at his desk in his office behind a nameplate which reads “Legal advisor and arbitrator Hesham Idris Al-Sheikh Mahmoud.” His cousin Yaseen Abo Ouda also shared a post mourning the loss as did others in the local community.

Ibrahim Mattar posted on Facebook about his cousin and childhood friend Mohammed Walid Shraim (Abu Al-Walid)’s death, writing that he was a victim of “treacherous bombing” and praying for peace and mercy for him. He shared a picture of Mohammed wearing a blue button down shirt and smiling. Mohammed’s cousins Yehia Imad and Abo Hamed, and his brother-in-law Mohammed Abo Sama’an also shared Facebook tributes. His cousin Hasan Khaled shared a picture of him in a purple collared shirt. Looking at Mohammed’s personal Facebook account, it appears that he was a member of the police force. In an image shared on February 12th, 2015, Mohammed is seen in a blue police uniform, smiling towards the camera, as another young man in a matching uniform smiles and shakes his hand.

Ahmed Shaheen, a cousin of Youssef Mohammed Shaheen (Abu Ani), posted about Youssef’s death to Facebook, asking for people to “please pray for him.” He shared a picture of Youssef, standing in front of a white van, wearing a black jacket and cap with a Palestinian Authority logo. On the hood of the white van is a logo for the Civil Police. While armed groups in Gaza are known to contribute personnel to the Gaza police force, as Airwars did not find any connection between Youssef and an armed group, Youssef has been considered among the count of those civilians killed. This will be updated should additional information come to light.

Imad Jabr Abu Asr (Abu Muhammad) was memorialized by his cousin Hazem Abo Nesem, who posted to Facebook mourning both Imad and his uncle Youssef Mohammed Shaheen death. He wrote, “May God have mercy on you” and included a photo of Youssef in a navy quarter zip pullover and one of Imad in a blue plaid button down shirt. Imad’s cousins Nedal Akram Nedal and Rabah Akram also made posts about his death.

Ghassan El-Durra shared a post on Facebook providing water assistance in honor of Mahmoud Abdullah Abu Al-Qura (Abu Khaled)’s death. An image of Mohammed wearing a brown shirt and smiling can be seen in front of the scene of Palestinians, including children, receiving water from a truck.

On November 3, 2024, Mahmoud’s mother, Umm Hani, posted an image to Facebook showing a photograph of Mahmoud displayed on a phone screen and a piece of paper with a prayer for Mahmoud in the foreground, with the Kabaa clearly visible in the background. Umm Hani wrote “An accepted Umrah. May God reward the person who performed Umrah for my son, bless you, and comfort you.”

Mahmoud’s sister, Umm Karim al-Sham, also posted in memory of Mahmoud. Accompanying a tribute shared on January 14th 2025, Umm Karim also shared two images of Mahmoud. In the first, Mahmoud is seen in a blue jacket, smiling lightly toward the camera. He has a similar, happy expression in the second photo where he is seen wearing a red polo shirt.

A friend of Mahmoud’s, Sharef al-Bardwil shared an image of himself, alongside Mahmoud to Facebook, writing “Today, our dear friend and brother Mahmoud Abu Al-Qura’a left us. Mahmoud was a kind man who was always generous, loved people, and did good deeds. Mahmoud was not just a friend, Mahmoud was a brother and a beloved. The world lost a man whose likes have become rare in this time.” He closed the post with a prayer.

Looking at Mahmoud’s personal Facebook account, it appears he was the owner of Rock Shoes Abu al-Qura.

Finally, on October 19th, Baha Abu al-Qura al-Ehtiati posted a video to Facebook which follows the scene of Mahmoud’s burial procession and ultimate burial. In the video, a crowd of men carry Mahmoud’s shrouded body on a stretcher through a street. At one point, the crowd stops to pray, and briefly removes the cover from Mahmoud’s face, exposing a clearly bloody, perhaps severely burnt, face. The crowd re-covers Mahmoud’s face and gathers behind his shrouded body, which has been set on a table, in prayer. The last minute and a half of the video show the group wrapping Mahmoud’s shrouded body in a blanket before lowering him into the ground and covering him.

Mohamed Sami Abdel Jawad Jouda was survived by his wife and children, Sami and Zeina. On the day of the strike, Mohamed (Abu Sami)’s sister-in-law Heba Adnan posted to Facebook about Mohamed’s death, offering her sister Umm Sami her “condolences” for the loss of her husband.

Mohamed’s brother Abo Abdallaha Jouda also posted to Facebook in Mohamed’s memory. Accompanying Abo’s post was a picture of Mohamed wearing a white button down shirt and brown jacket.

The same image was shared by Ahmed W Jodaa on October 19th, as well as Fayek Jouda on October 20th. Ahmed posted to Facebook in memory of his cousin, writing “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. The martyrdom of my cousin Muhammad Sami Joda. May God have mercy on you. Oh Muhammad”.

Fayek announced the details of the funeral service that would be held for Mohamed, writing “Condolences are acceapted at Mawasi Khan Yunis, where his father resides.” Commenting on Fayek’s post, Rayisa Jouda prayed for Mohamed and his family, writing “May God inspire his parents, his wife, and his children Sami and Zeina with patience and solace.”

A neighbor of Abu Saed, Mohamed’s father, also posted to Facebook to remember Mohamed. Abo Suliman Jouda wrote, “I offer my condolences and sympathy to the Joda family in general and to Uncle Abu Saed and his sons in particular for the martyrdom of his son.”

In most of the lists of fatalities provided by local sources, an unidentified woman and unidentified female child are listed among those killed. In a video posted by @qudsn and others, a Palestinian Red Crescent Society member can be seen collecting the remains of a victim, identified as the remains of a child. Images posted by Palestine Post on Facebook show people who arrived at the scene holding up what appears to be a dead baby. In a second image, it appears that a dead baby is covered in dust amidst the rubble.

A tweet from @AnasAlSharif0 identified that in addition to the “more than 10” people killed, others had been wounded. Multiple other sources mentioned “wounded” without providing additional details, while a post from Al Yawn News reported seven deaths.

In a video posted by “Lawyer Ali Bashir Al-Rawashdeh,” a young boy named Ahmed who suffered a head injury and is seen wearing a bandage described what happened when the airstrike occurred, saying that his friend had told him to throw the toy away before the missile came down.

Islam Badar, a journalist for Al Arabiya TV in the Gaza Strip, shared an image of people gathered around an ambulance outside the school and one of people trying to rescue survivors from the rubble.

Al Haya news shared images of citizens inspecting the damage at the school. In the photos, entire walls are caved in with rubble everywhere. Blood is splashed on some of the tiles. One picture shows a man carrying a bag with a UNRWA logo and another shows a torn board with a UNICEF sign.

Video from Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif which was widely circulated also showed first responders in orange vests standing in the rubble, some wearing masks and hard hats.

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 the belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to the Israeli military. Images taken by Andalou Agency afterwards were identified by @Easybakeovensz as small Diameter Bomb (SDB)/GBU-39 fragments left behind.