Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Belligerent
Country
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

ISPT0462

Incident date

October 22, 2023

Location

منزلاً لعائلة الزطمة بجوار مسجد زيد بين مخيم بدر والبراهمة غرب رفح, al-Zatmeh family house next to Zaid Mosque between Badr and Al-Brahma camp, west of Rafah, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

Fifteen members of the al-Zatmeh and Ghoneim families, including 11 children and two women, were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the al-Zatmeh family home to the West of Rafah on October 22nd 2023. The house was situated next to Zaid mosque, between Badr and Al-Brahma camp. Initial reports by @ShehabAgency claimed “a large number of injuries,” though did not specify the number of injured victims. According to Alaa Abu Anas, “there [were] body parts and missing persons being identified” following the airstrike. Several sources claimed the explosion type to be originating from an Israeli aircraft.

From the al-Zatmeh family, 35-year-old Imad Faraj al-Zatmeh and his wife 34-year-old Islam Nayef al-Zatmeh were killed, along with their children 10-year-old Hala Imad al-Zatmeh, 13-year-old Muhammad Imad al-Zatmeh, 2-year-old Ahmed Imad al-Zatmeh, and 11-year-old Ibrahim Imad al-Zatmeh. Imad’s sister, 28-year-old Hanan Faraj al-Zatmeh was also killed, along with her husband 32-year-old Ahmed Essam Salah and their children 9-year-old Essam Ahmed Salah, 3-year-old Retal Ahmed Salah, less than a year old Abdul Rahman Ahmed Salah and 2-year-old Nada Ahmed Salah.

Images shared on social media showed the mother of Imad and Hanan Faraj al-Zatmeh, Ibtisam al-Zatmeh, crouched over the bodies of her children, covered in white shroud on the ground, after she had heard about the strike on her home while working at the Emirati maternity hospital.

In a Facebook post, Muhammad Abdel Aziz mourned his cousins, 12-year-old Raghad Farid Ghoneim, 8-year-old Layan Farid Ghoneim, and 5-year-old Karam Farid Ghoneim, reporting they were “killed in a bombing on a house next to them.” Images shared by a page for the Ghoneim family show the children smiling while posing for photos.

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

All of the names have been reconciled with published Palestinian Ministry of Health lists with thanks to journalist Alexandre Horn from CheckNews for identifying relevant sources, and Data Tech for Palestine for centralising the datasets.

Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (12)

Imad Faraj al-Zatma عماد فرج الزطمة
35 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 800773186
Islam Nayef al-Zatma اسلام نايف الزطمة
34 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 802319558
Hala Imad al-Zatma هلا عماد الزطمة
10 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 434052718
Muhammad Imad al-Zatma محمد عماد الزطمة
13 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 429908064
Ahmed Imad al-Zatma احمد عماد الزطمة
2 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 443168000
Ibrahim Imad Al-Zatma ابراهيم عماد الزطمة
12 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 432398717
Hanan Faraj al-Zatmeh (Saleh) حنان فرج الزطمة
29 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 400273694
Ahmed Essam Salah احمد عصام صلاح
32 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 803447994
Essam Ahmed Salah اسماء احمد صلاح
9 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 435237714
Retal Ahmed Salah ريتال احمد صلاح
3 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 445067770
Nada Ahmed Salah ندى احمد صلاح
2 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 436153571
Abdul Rahman Ahmed Salah عبد الرحمن صلاح
0.6 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 444480057

Family members (3)

Raghad Farid Ghoneim رغد فريد غنيم
12 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 431668052
Layan Farid Ghoneim ليان فريد غنيم
8 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 435146337
Karam Farid Ghoneim كرم فريد غنيم
5 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 440682649

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • (11 children2 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (36) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdul Hamid Al-Habashi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdul Hamid Al-Habashi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdul Hamid Al-Habashi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdul Hamid Al-Habashi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ghoneim's family is "barren" at home and in the diaspora
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ghoneim's family is "barren" at home and in the diaspora

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • (11 children2 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (36) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS4117

Incident date

October 26, 2019

Location

تقاد, Tiqad village, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.199203, 36.87054 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One to two civilians were injured by alleged Russian airstrikes on a farm in the village of Fiqad, Aleppo countryside, on October 26th, 2019, according to local sources.

The Smart News agency reported: “A civilian was injured on Saturday by Russian air strikes on a village west of Aleppo in northern Syria .

Local activists told ‘Aleppo Gate’ (one of the SMART media projects) that a Russian warplane “targeted the houses of civilians in a village led by a missile, which resulted in the injury of a civilian was taken to a nearby hospital.”

The Syrian Civil Defence reported that “a civilian was injured due to the targeting of a farm on the outskirts of Taqad town in Aleppo countryside with missiles directed by warplanes this morning, causing heavy material damage to civilian property”.

Tweets posted by @blaas083 and @ZaitunAgency also referred to civilians plural as being injured but did not give a specific number. @SY_plus reported that two civilians were injured.

Images posted by @OGNreports showed rubble and destruction caused by the strikes as well as animals that were injured.

@hadi1sy reported that two strikes were carried out on the town.

All sources that reported on the incident attributed the strikes to Russia.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • The farm in Fiqad village that was damaged by an alleged Russian airstrike on October 26th, 2019 (via SCD on Facebook).
  • Caption translation: Damage caused by Russian occupation warjet airstrikes on Taqeed in western rural Aleppo this morning (Image posted by @OGNreports)
  • Caption translation: Damage caused by Russian occupation warjet airstrikes on Taqeed in western rural Aleppo this morning (Image posted by @OGNreports)
  • Caption translation: Damage caused by Russian occupation warjet airstrikes on Taqeed in western rural Aleppo this morning (Image posted by @OGNreports)
  • Caption translation: Damage caused by Russian occupation warjet airstrikes on Taqeed in western rural Aleppo this morning (Image posted by @OGNreports)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

SDF00033

Incident date

September 8, 2023

Location

عرب ويران, the village of Arab Wiran, east of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Friday, September 8, 2023, a civilian was injured as a result of artillery shelling of the village of Arab Wiran, east of Aleppo, allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or SDF militia.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that the shelling came from areas under the joint control of the regime forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Civil Defense team inspected the places affected by the bombing to check the conditions of civilians and tweeted the image showing the aftermath of the attack.

According to Orient news’s correspondent Muhannad Al-Ali, the artillery shelling was carried out by Syrian regime forces, while Shaam news alleged that it was perpertrated by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Since the sources identified different belligerents as being responsible for the strike, Airwars has classified both Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status as Contested.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    YPG

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

YPG Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    YPG
  • YPG position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    YPG

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1979

Incident date

March 17, 2017

Location

كفر حوت, Kafr Hout , Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

33.359814, 35.978346 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Russian warplanes wounded two civilians in a raid on the village of Kafr Hout in southern Aleppo Governorate, western Syria, according to sources on the ground.

Sources were unclear of the identity of those injured in this attack. Smart News Today reported that two women were wounded, while Aleppo Civil Defence said that one woman and one man were injured.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Civilians are aided by the White Helmets following an alleged Russian airstrike on Kafr Hout, March 17th (via White Helmets)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Kafr Hout (كفر حوت), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.359814, 35.978346. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS380

Incident date

November 3, 2019

Location

الطريق بين رشيدية و القاسمية, Road between Al Rashidiya and Al Qasimiya village, Al Hasaka, Syria

Geolocation

36.706030, 40.353696 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One member of Doctors Without Borders was killed and three other civilians including two aged 17 wounded in an alleged Turkish mortar strike on a convoy about four kilometers north of Tal Temr, local sources reported.

Hawar news said: “The invading Turkish state wounded two doctors by firing cannons at Til Temir’s convoy of Doctors Without Borders between Al-Rashidiy and Al-Qasimiyê village. The condition of one of the doctors remains serious.”

Later reports said that one of the victims had died.

Free Burma Rangers issued the following statement:

“We are very sad to announce that Zau Seng, our Kachin cameraman and medic from Burma, was killed today, Nov. 3., by a Free Syrian Army/Turkish Army mortar strike that hit our forward casualty collection point where we were assembled to treat the wounded.

“Last night, Nov. 2, we had rescued three people from this area successfully but this time we were hit very close, about 10 meters from us. Mohammed, our Iraqi translator and coordinator, was also wounded but is in stable condition in the hospital.

“Zau Seng was my brother and hero. He leaves behind a wife, Lunu, and daughter, who celebrated her first birthday today. We pledge to take care of his wife and daughter as much as we can. We believe Zau is with Jesus now, in what the people of Burma call ‘the undiscovered land.’ He has now discovered it.

“I know he’s happy and still laughing, as he was always laughing, but we are sad because the world is emptier without him.”

A second post by Burma Rangers quoted Mohammed, the wounded Iraqi translator. He said:  “Our duty is to remove civilians from the battlefield. We are a human rights organization. When we reached the village of Al-Ezîziyê, we were exposed to bombardment of gangs belonging to the Turkish state. The gangs wanted to pave the way for them to reach Til Temir. We were attacked when we treated the wounded. Despite the Red Cross flag on our vehicle, they continued to attack us. A Thai member lost his life as a result of the attacks.”

The incident occured in the afternoon.

The victims were named as:

37 years old male killed
31 years old male KRC List injured
Luay Sitam Hemid
17 years old male KRC List - Fragments in the left leg injured
Muhannad Jasim Hemid
17 years old male KRC List - Fragments in the left leg injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 healthcare_personnel)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (34) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (16) [ collapse]

  • Footage of the alleged Turkish strike on the convoy in Tal Temr, Nov 3rd.
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Attempts to save the life Zau Seng, one of the members of the convoy.
  • Mohammed, part of the convoy struck by an alleged Turkish morat in Tal Temr, Nov 3rd (via Free Burma Rangers)
  • Zau Seng (via Free Burma Rangers)
  • Zau Seng (via Free Burma Rangers)
  • Zau Seng with wife Lunu (via Free Burma Rangers)
  • Zau Seng with his daughter (via Free Burma Rangers)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Attempts to save the life of Zau Seng following the alleged Turkish strike on the convoy in Tal Temr, Nov 3rd (via Hawar news)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Attempts to save the life of Zau Seng following the alleged Turkish strike on the convoy in Tal Temr, Nov 3rd (via Hawar news)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Attempts to save the life of Zau Seng following the alleged Turkish strike on the convoy in Tal Temr, Nov 3rd (via Hawar news)
  • KRC list of civilians killed and injured between 09 October and 14 November 2019.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck on the road between the villages of Al Qasimiya (القاسمية) and Al Rashidiya (رشيدية), north of the town of Tal Tamr (تل تمر), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.706030, 40.353696. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck on the road between the villages of Al Qasimiya (القاسمية) and Al Rashidiya (رشيدية), north of the town of Tal Tamr (تل تمر).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 healthcare_personnel)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (34) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISPT0500

Incident date

October 23, 2023

Location

مخيم الشاطئ, Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

On October 23rd, 2023, Civil Defense crews were allegedly struck by Israeli forces during rescue operations in Al-Shati camp. According to Shehab News Agency, a member of the Civil Defense was injured while attempting to clear rubble from homes destroyed by Israeli aircraft. Further information regarding identification or the state of injuries has not been made available.

An image attached to the report showed a man on a stretcher, though his injuries did not appear severe.

Almayadine and Al Jazeera News corroborated the above claim, stating that Civil Defense crews were bombed while transporting the injured. There were few additional details. This assessment will be updated if and when more specific details emerge.

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

Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ShehabAgency

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2111

Incident date

April 10, 2017

Location

جسر الشغور , Jisr Al-Shoughour, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.814269, 36.31994 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Sources reported the Syrian Civil Defence were struck in a suspected Russian airstrike during raids on the outskirts of Jisr Al-Shoughour in western Idlib.

Three civilians were reportedly injured, including a Syrian Civil Defence volunteer. One source alleged the use of phosphorus bombs.

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Injured member of the Syrian Civil Defense team after being targeted by an alleged Russian airstrike on April 10th 2017 (via Syrian Civil Defense).
  • Injured member of the Syrian Civil Defense team after being targeted by an alleged Russian airstrike on April 10th 2017 (via Syrian Civil Defense).
  • Fighter jet allegedly flying over the outskirts of Jisr Al-Shoughour on April 10th 2017 (via JMC).

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2115

Incident date

April 11, 2017

Location

Syria

Geolocation

35.9266201, 36.6180588 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One named civilian was wounded in an alleged Russian airstrike on Idlib city, according to a single source.

According to the Smart News Agency, “the destruction was caused by Russian air strikes on the perimeter of the Cariton building in the city of Idlib on 11 April 2017, which resulted in the injury of a number of civilians. Abu Mohammed [possibly the injured civilian as his name matches the name given further down in the report of the wounded victim], a resident of the neighborhood said that the warplanes launched the first raid, and ten minutes after that a second raid, pointing out that the raids were targeting civilians and ambulances, in addition to the rescue teams. Another person, Abu Hassan, said that there is no military headquarters in the region, noting that the air raids are repeated daily on the city.

Khaled_1987dn tweeted that there had been an air raid but said that “no injuries” had been reported so far.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male "A civilian resident of the neighborhood" killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]