On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, an Israeli airstrike reportedly hit the Baalousha family home in the Al-Saftawi neighborhood of Gaza City. According to available information, between 15 and 16 civilians from two families were killed, including Muhammad Baalousha, a journalist employed by Palestine Today. Media reports, including Anadolu Agency, cited an unspecified number of civilians who were purportedly wounded. A source, Belall Daqqa, reported that the incident took place at dawn.
Reporting on this event on X, Shehab Agency stated, “Journalist at Palestine Today Channel/Gaza Bureau, colleague Muhammad Baalousha (Abu Jamil), was killed in a treacherous bombing that targeted him and his family last night in the Al-Saftawi neighborhood, north of Gaza City.”
In a post on the Palestine Today website, Palestine Today reported the death of Muhammad Baalousha and described him as a journalist as well as an administrative and financial director for the organization.
The victims were identified by multiple sources posting on Facebook, including a family member called Ahmed Baalousha, as 62-year-old Jamil Muhammad Baalousha (Abu Muhammad Baalousha) who was killed alongside his wife, 60-year-old Hoda Ismail Baalousha, their daughter, 34-year-old Pharmacist Dr Iman Jamil Muhammad Baalousha, and their sons, the journalist, 36-year-old Muhammad Jamil Muhammad Baalousha, and 31-year-old Ayman Muhammad Jamil Baalousha. Ayman Muhammad Jamil Baalousha’s wife, 30-year-old Heba Saeed Baalousha, was also killed alongside their daughters eight-year-old Hoda Ayman Baalousha, and five-year-old Kinda Ayman Baalousha, and son, four-year-old Jamil Ayman Baalousha. Muhammad Baalousha’s daughter, 11-year-old Layan Muhammad Baalousha, was also reported as killed and his other daughter, 13-year-old Tala Muhammed Baalousha, was reported as injured by a facebook user, Osama Ismail, however two Facebook posts from MA almaddah and Ahmed Baalousha reported her as having been killed.
Members of a second family were also reportedly killed during this incident. According to currently available information, this included 74-year-old Muhammed Almahlawy, also known as Abu Salah Almahlawy, alongside his son Salah Almahlawy and grandsons 26-year-old Hassan Almahlawy, and 29-year-old Muhammad Almahlawy. 19-year-old Majid Majid Ka’bar was reported as killed in this incident as well and family members made heartfelt tributes to him in online posts. All three men were described in a post by Ismael Z. Almahallawi as Ismael’s cousins.
Posting on Facebook a user named Hussien Isleem, stated, “Abu Muhammad Baalousha, was bombarded. As a result, he and his wife, the moral teacher, the martyr Hoda Hamada, and his son, the journalist who was a Qur’an who walked on the ground, Muhammad Baalousha (Abu Jamil), were martyred. His son, Ayman Baalousha, his wife and 3 children, and his daughter, Dr. Iman Baalousha…. Our neighbors joined them: Abu Salah al-Mahlawi, his son Salah, and his two grandsons Hassan and Muhammad.”
Anadolu Agency reported that, according to eyewitnesses, the incident left many others injured.
A facebook user called Shahd Abu Salma made a tribute to Hoda Ismail Baalousha in a post, saying she had been his primary school teacher and that their families had “joined together in thick and thin”.
Following this incident, journalist Amr Tabash posted numerous photographs on Facebook showing a crowd assembled in proximity to what appears to be a heavily damaged residential building. Posting on X, the Palestinian Information Center shared three photographs showing a crowd gathered around Muhammad Baalousha’s body. Another image of his funeral showed his body dressed in a press bullet-proof vest with a press helmet and wrapped in white funeral shroud.
The Guardian reported Muhammed Baalousha’s death and claimed, by October 17, Muhammed was the 12th journalist to have been reportedly killed by an Israeli airstrike.
UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, made a statement on October 30, 2023, stating “I deplore the death of Mohammad Balousha. I reiterate my call for the respect of the UN Security Council Resolution 2222/2015 on the protection of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians in situations of conflict and call for a full independent investigation into the circumstances of his death.”
Multiple sources, including a family member called Ahmed Baalousha, reported the ages of the victims from the Baalousha family as listed above. However their names could not be matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of names of fatalities published on October 26, 2023. Hassan and Muhammed Almahlawy and Majid Ka’bar were matched with the MoH list and their ages were confirmed.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. A post from Shahd abu salma reported that the incident took place without warning.
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The incident occured around dawn.
