(Previous Incident Code: ISPT179 )

Up to four civilians, including a woman and a child, were injured by Israeli airstrikes in Bani Suhaila on May 11, 2023.

According to a report posted by Al Mezan, suspected Israeli warplanes fired a single missile at 16:00 and struck a home in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis. The strike killed the patriarch of the family, Ahmed Mahmoud Hamdan Abu Daqqa, described as a forty-three year old leader in the Al-Quds Brigade. Four others including a woman and child were wounded.

@ShehabAgency reported that three civilians were injured. Raya News, which placed the toll at one killed and four injured, stated that the victims arrived at the European Gaza Hospital for treatment. 

Twitter user @tawra8001 described Abu Daqqa as the “commander of the Al-Quds Brigade” and @mhd_Zahreddine labeled the deceased as “a leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement” and “a member of the Military Council of the Al-Quds Brigade”. Al-Arbiya News described Abu Daqqa as the deputy of Ali Ghali, commander of the missile unit of the Al-Quds Brigades, who was killed the same day by an Israeli strike (ISPT179).

The Israeli Defense Forces released a statement that “A short while ago, the IDF targeted an additional senior operative of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, Ahmed Abu-Deka, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad rocket launching force. Abu-Deka was responsible for the rocket launches toward Israel over the last few days, and specifically toward the city of Sderot, along with the routine management of the forces. Abu-Deka operated to advance, plan, and execute rocket fire attacks toward Israel. He took part in the barrages of rockets fired toward Israeli civilians during operations “Guardian of the Walls” and “Breaking Dawn”.”