Airwars assessment
On September 29, 2024, a declared Israeli airstrike on Umm al-Fahm School in the Al Salateen area of Beit Lahiya killed four civilians, including a child and a journalist, and injured 15 others. Israel Defense Forces said that they were targeting “terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control center” that was embedded within the school compound.
Several posts were shared by relatives of the victims. The Facebook account of Shireen Saeed mourned the loss of her brother-in-law Ramadan Bassam Mohammed al-Kurd and his eldest son Mohammed Ramadan Bassam al-Kurd – a child – who were among those killed in the attack. Mohammed Ahmed al Arbeed posted a memorial for his sister’s husband Ramadan and their son Mohammed, along with an image of Ramadan and Mohammed posing with Mohammed giving a thumbs up.
Amani Abu Alba wrote about the death of her cousin Nidal Abu Alba, who was killed in the bombing, adding that Nidal’s father had been killed in an earlier incident. Thapet Ali Hamdan Hamdan also memorialized their “childhood friend and son of Beit Lahiya project” Nidal along with an image of Nidal wearing a green shirt standing in front of a tree. Nidal was survived by his mother, his sister, his brothers, and his daughters, according to Haneen Khaled and Debo Hani. Adham Abo Olba posted an image online of Nidal alongside an image of a man with a strong resemblance to Nidal, likely his father Ibrahim Alba. Ibrahim is remembered as a “commander”, which may suggest ties to militant activities.
Naghm Matba’a llqurtasia and Alshaheen Ahmed confirmed the death of their friend Omar Abu Laila, along with images of Omar, a young man, smiling at the camera in collared shirts. Khalil Al Asqalani Abu Khaled honoured his colleague Omar, who was “one of the supervisors of the Al-Marsad News Network.”
Multiple X/Twitter users, including @qudsn and @AJArabic reported that the school was sheltering displaced civilians at the time of the attack. Many of these and additional local sources posted videos showing the damage and the efforts to retrieve victims from the site and transport them to the hospital. X users like @HossamShabat, @RassdNewsN, and @khaberni reported on the ongoing rescue efforts, documenting the retrieval of bodies and injured individuals from the school. Additionally, news outlets such as @AJArabic provided real-time updates from their correspondent, confirming that the school had been struck during the raid. The Facebook account Gazaa Mohammed also reported on the incident, mentioning that three killed and several injured individuals had been identified following the strike. At 15:02 local time on September 29th, Safa PS News confirmed that four killed and several seriously injured individuals had been recorded after the airstrike on Umm al-Fahm School in Beit Lahiya. Earlier, at 14:22, they had reported three dead before updating the toll to four. Facebook account Hafid Gougua also reported four deaths and 15 injuries due to the bombardment.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on their official Telegram page that “A short while ago, with the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control center embedded inside a compound that previously served as the ‘Umm al-Fahm’ School in the northern Gaza Strip. The command and control center was used by the Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (51) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (39) [ collapse]
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Source: @AJArabic -
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Source: Al Masar -
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Source: Al Masar -
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Source: Ahmed Issaoui Muhammad -
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Source: Anas Al Sharief -
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Source: Hafid Gougua -
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Source: Hafid Gougua -
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Source: Bissan Shawish -
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Source: Abbas Awwad -
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Source: Abbas Awwad -
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Source: Ahmed Taha -
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Source: Naghm Matba’a llqurtasia -
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Source: Thapet Ali Hamdan Hamdan -
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Source: Abu Aljood -
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Source: Haneen Khaled -
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Source: Debo Hani -
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Source: Mohammed Abed al Aziz Al Ashqer -
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Source: Ahmed Taha -
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Source: Alshaheen Ahmed -
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Source: Ola Attalaha um Mahmoud -
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Source: Mustafa Al Helo -
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Source: Mervat Hussen -
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Source: Hamza Al Helo -
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Source: Raef Abu alba -
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Source: Twfeg Ghabayen -
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Source: Abu Hadi Abuolba -
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Source: Mohammad Abu Elba -
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Source: Abo Omar Rezq -
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Source: Adham Abo Olba -
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Source: Khalil Al Asqalani Abu Khaled -
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Source: Majed al Kurd -
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Source: Mohammed Ahmed al Arbeed -
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Assessment:
Original strike reports
Israel Defense Forces:
"IDF: A short while ago, with the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a Hamas command and control center embedded inside a compound that previously served as the 'Umm al-Fahm' School in the northern Gaza Strip.
The command and control center was used by the Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.
Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information.
This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law. The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas in defense of the citizens of Israel."