On October 25, 2023, an alleged Israeli strike on the Al-Taj building and surrounding areas killed at least 101 people, including 44 children and 37 women, and injured “hundreds” of others.
Lower initial death tolls were reported in the immediate aftermath of the strike, with casualty counts challenged by so many individuals trapped underneath the rubble. Members of the Ramlawi family were found alive after being able to send a call for help underneath the rubble of the fourth floor of the Al Taj 3 building. Survivors Khaled Saed Al Ramlawi, Osama Al Daki, Saeed Amer Al Ramlawi, Hamoud Ahmad Al Ramlawi lost 19 family members in the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces published a video of what it said were strikes on a “Hamas terror tunnel,” without further details. In the footage a large building and its surrounding area is struck multiple times within a second, with a number of what are potentially secondary explosions occurring six seconds later. Airwars was able to geolocate the footage and confirm the large building in the frame was the Al-Taj. There was no further details on the damage to the alleged tunnel network.
@ShehabAgency initially reported that 40 bodies were recovered from the rubble alongside dozens of wounded people following the Israeli airstrike on Al-Taj Building 3 and Yarmouk and Al-Jalaa Streets. @naveedmarfani put the number of killed at 25, adding that “hundreds” were injured, while Al Bawaba News quoting the Palestinian Ministry of Interior reported more than 100 people had been wounded. The day after the incident, @d_f115 reported that the death count had reached 61 and the search was still going on for other missing people under the rubble. @QamareAlam21 specified that more than 120 people, including “8 entire families” were buried under the rubble.
The Sharaf family
At least 37 members of the Sharaf family across three generations were reported killed in the strike. Omar Sharaf (Abu Ismail) and his wife Umm Ismail Sharaf lost at least six of their children and children-in-law, as well as 16 grandchildren. Omar’s two brothers and their families were also killed in the strike: Abu Osama Sharaf, Osama’s wife, three children and grandchild, and Dr Khaled Sharaf, his wife and their three children.
The names of those killed were mostly identified by relatives on social media, and are identified below.
Omar and Ismail Sharaf’s children and grandchildren
Omar and Ismail’s Sharaf’s daughter-in-law Islam Baalousha (wife of their surviving son Yousef) was reportedly killed alongside her three daughters Malak Sharaf*, Yasmine Sharaf*, Nour Sharaf* and son Malik Sharaf*. A video posted by a cousin, named Yousef Sharaf, shows Yousef Sharaf Abu Malik mourning for his wife Islam and four children who were all killed. @Mansorryaan tweeted the day after the incident that their colleague Yousef’s wife, children, and other relatives were still under the rubble. Yousef Sharaf, a program producer at Shehab News Agency, tweeted that “my father, my mother, my wife, my children, and most of my brothers and their families were martyred” and described his son Malik as “The son of my heart, my darling, my successor, and my heir, like the breeze, he lived among us, flying with joy and spreading love, just like his features in this picture, and in all the pictures!” @ShehabAgency also tweeted a condolence message for their journalist Yousef.
Omar and Umm Ismail’s son Ismail Sharaf, his wife and their son Omar Sharaf* were also killed. Ismail’s brother Yousef (@_Ysharaf) described Omar as Ismail’s “first joy, his great redress, and his great compensation”, and that Omar “came carrying joy on the day of Tarwiyah, which preceded the last Eid al-Adha, and he left life with his father, mother, and my family during the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood”.
Omar and Umm Ismail’s son Abdul Rahim Sharaf, his wife Aliaa Ramzi Al Hinawi, their son* and their three daughters* were killed. Nermin Hinawi posted a condolence message for his cousin Dr. Aliaa Ramzi Al Hinawi, her husband, and her four children. Images show the parents and four children, including an infant, with all of the children looking to be under the age of 10.
Omar and Umm Ismail’s son Salah Sharaf and his son Hamza Sharaf* were also all killed. Omar and Umm Ismail’s daughter Asma Sharaf, her daughter Hala Dawoud*, her daughter Sama Dawoud*, her daughter Jour Dawoud*, and her daughter Lana Dawoud* were killed. A post by Sereen Daoud described Lana as “her father’s firstborn and his first joy. Lana is the superior, ambitious, dreamer; She used to stay up with me and sit with me during the war nights, telling me about her hopes and dreams. She competed with me in memorizing the Qur’an.”
Hala was described as “the spontaneous, kind, and innocent woman…She would ask me every night to comb her hair and play with her so she would forget the nights of terror we lived through. She stood next to me in the kitchen while I was preparing food and whispered in my ear: “Auntie, I make you the best food ever.” On the last night she spent at my house, she woke up to the sound of bombing and panic filled her heart, asking me; Auntie, do your feet hurt from fear as much as they hurt me?”
Sama was described as “the energetic and responsible one (the logistics person in charge at home), as her father calls her. She was older than her age and saw more of life than she could bear. During the hours of bombing and evacuation, she was the one who packed bags.”
Jour was described as “the love of the house, her mother’s darling, and my daughter Sandy’s companion in kindergarten. They always shared a lunch box in kindergarten. They played together and quarreled innocently over a piece of candy or a toy. Jour left, leaving her friend Sandy alone.” Asma was described as “We used to share together in making bread and preparing food during the war days… She would stand next to me in the kitchen, we would prepare food and talk together, and every night she would prepare the pot of tea that my son Ahmed loved from under her hands”.
Omar and Umm Ismail’s other daughter Alaa Sharaf and her daughters* were killed. @_Ysharaf refers to his sister Alaa as “the apple of my heart” and only mentions that her “daughters” were killed, which Airwars has quantified as two casualties.
Abu Osama Sharaf’s family
Omar Sharaf (Abu Ismail)’s brother Abu Osama Sharaf, his wife, his daughter Wissam, his daughter Israa, his daughter Doaa, and Doaa’s child Obaida* were killed. Fatma Mohammed referred to Doaa Sharaf as a media personality, adding that she was killed along with her child and that some of her family members were still under the rubble.
Dr. Khaled Sharaf’s family
Omar Sharaf’s brother Dr. Khaled Sharaf, his wife, his son Abdullah, his son Karim, and his daughter Jodi were killed. Family member @_Ysharaf identified Khaled Sharaf as a “doctor and lecturer at Al-Aqsa University”. A nephew of Omar Sharaf (Abu Ismail) stated that approximately 50 members of the family had been killed and that “All the words of the Arabic language cannot describe the sadness and oppression in our hearts over this great affliction”. Other family members, including @_Ysharaf, identified 37 members of the family killed.
The Radwan family
At least 15 members of the Radwan family were reportedly killed in the strike, across three generations.
Hassan Radwan and other members of the Al-Mahlawi family provided the names of the family members killed: grandmother Buthaina Radwan (Al-Mahlawi), killed alongside her son Mahmoud Awni Al-Mahlawi, her son Osama Awni Al-Mahlawi, her daughter Faten Awni Al-Mahlawi, her son Muhammad Awni Al-Mahlawi, Muhammad’s wife Asmaa Jihad Abu Al-Amrain (Al-Mahlawi), Muhammad and Asmaa’s child Rawad Muhammad Al-Mahlawi*, their daughter Habiba Muhammad Al-Mahlawi*, their son Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Al-Mahlawi*.
Buthaina’s daughter Mona Aouni Al-Mahlawi was also killed alongside her husband Walid Abdel Haq Al Mahlawi, their daughters Nagham Walid Al Mahlawi*, Nada Walid Al Mahlawi*, Hoda Walid Al-Mahlawi*, and son Moaz Walid Al-Mahlawi*.
Hassan Radwan Posted a condolence message for his wife’s aunt, Buthaina, along with her children “the friend Muhammad” and his wife and three children, “the lawyer Mahmoud”, and Mona and her husband Walid and their four children. Early reports noted that two of Buthaina’s other children Osama and Faten were still under the rubble, though they were later reported killed.
The Al-Banna family
Mufid Fayez Al-Banna and his wife Nourhan Nour Al-Din (Al-Banna) were killed and their daughter Asmaa Al Banna was injured. Mahmoud Hamada described Mufid Fayez as his “dear uncle, my father-in-law, my friend, and my brother” adding that “eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, and we are saddened by your departure, our dear martyr.” Asmaa Al Banna was rescued from under the rubble after four days, and one source described it as “Asmaa is living with a divine miracle”. Asmaa’s brother Mohammad Al Banna mourned for his parents and reported that as of November 6th Asmaa was still being treated in intensive care.
The Jarada family
At least 17 members of the Jarada family were reported killed across three generations. Their names were identified by family members on social media.
Marwan Al Maidana was among those posting condolence messages for the following family members: the father Nasr Rabah Jarada (Abu Tamer), his wife Naama Abu Al-Ezz (Jarada), their daughters Nisreen Nasr Jarada, Haneen Nasr Jarada, and Tamer Nasr Jarada.
Nasr and Naama’s grandchildren were also killed, identified as Nasr Mahmoud Jarada* and Abdullah Mahmoud Jarada*.
Nasr’s brother Harbi Rabah Jarada (Abou Rabah), Harbi’s wife Fawzia Abu Al-Auf (Jarada), their son Rabah Harbi Jarada (Abu Omar), Rabah’s wife Ruba Al-Qaisi (Jarada), Rabah and Ruba’s sons Harbi Rabah Jarada*, Karim Rabah Jarada*, and Muhammad Harbi Jarada (Abu Yusef) were all also killed. Their daughter in law, wife of Muhammad, Hala Saleh (Jarada), was also reported killed alongside her daughtersHabiba Muhammad Jarada* and Maymana Muhammad Jarada* were killed. In the post by Marwan Al Maidana, Rabah Harbi Jarada (Abu Omar) is referred to as a “retired Colonel”, Harbi Rabah Jarada (Abou Rabah) is referred to as “retired Major General” and Muhammad Harbi Jarada (Abu Yusef) as “Colonel”. As a retired member of armed forces, Rabah would not be classified as a combatant.
Reem Jawad EL-samouni expressed sympathy to Marwa N. Jarad, head of her family who lost 17 members of her family, adding that at the time of posting, the day after the attack, other members of her family were still under the rubble.
The Muhanna family
At least five members of the Muhanna family were reportedly killed in the strike. A post by Yousif A Muhanna mourned the loss of his family members: his father Adnan Muhanna, his mother Ibtisam Hosni Muhanna, his sister Dima Adnan Muhanna, his wife Rawand Al-Banna, and his son Adnan Youssef Adnan Muhanna*. Yousif also posted a picture of his son Adnan describing him as “My son, the lover of my soul (Adnan). All I know is that in losing you, I lose myself.”
A tweet from @fidaazaanin told the story of someone from the “Muhanna’s house” (seeming to indicate the family above) who lost their whole family in the bombing – mother, father, brother, nephew, except for one of their brothers who went out to the store to get food just before the bombing, and was the only one to survive. At the time, 120 people were still reportedly under the rubble.
The Mahdi family
At least seven members of the Mahdi family were reportedly killed in the strike. A post from Abd Rahim Mahdi memorialized members of his family killed: Khalil Akram Mahdi, Khalil’s wife Sali Ibrahim Mahdi (Labed), Khalil and Sali’s daughter Nesreen Khalil Mahdi*, Khalil and Sali’s daughter Talin Khalil Mahdi*, Khalil and Sali’s son Akram Khalil Mahdi*. Khalil and Sali’s daughter Loreen Khalil Mahdi, 6 months old, was also injured. Khalil’s cousins Ahmad Zakariya Mahdi and Hind Mahdi were also killed. ABO MANAR posted a condolence message for his brother-in-law “Ibrahim Labad” Abu Muhammad” whose daughter Sali, her husband Khalil, and their four children were killed. However according to the brother of Khalil, his 6-month-old daughter (Loreen) survived the attack and was found in her mother’s arms. A cousin of Khalil, Ahmed, and Hind (mother of Ibrahim Al-Zant) named Abd Rahim Mahdi posted a condolence message for the Mahdi family.
The Ramlawi family
Khaled posted a memorial for his family members killed, identifying them as: his father Saeed Al-Ramlawi (Abu Amer), his mother Masara Al-Ramlawi (Umm Amer), his daughter Alina Al-Ramlawi (3 years old), his brother Amer Al-Ramlawi (Abu Al-Saeed), Amer’s son Ibrahim Al-Ramlawi (12 years old), Amer’s daughter Ruba Al-Ramlawi (17 years old), killed, Khaled’s brother Muhammad Al-Ramlawi (Abu Al-Baraa), Muhammad’s wife Heba Al-Ramlawi (Umm Al-Baraa), Khaled’s sister Rami Al-Ramlawi (14 years old), Khaled’s sister Rana Ramlawi, Khaled’s sister Ritaal Ramlawi (6 years old), Khaled’s brother Ahmed’s wife Abeer Al-Ramlawi (Umm Yahya), Ahmed and Abeer’s daughter Nour Al-Ramlawi (19 years old), Ahmed and Abeer’s daughter Malak Al-Ramlawi (10 years old), Khaled’s brother Hazem’s wife Yasmine Al-Ramlawi (Umm Anas), Hazem and Yasmine’s son Anas Al-Ramlawi (12 years old), Hazem and Yasmine’s son Saeed Al-Ramlawi (5 years old), Hazem and Yasmine’s daughter Judy Ramlawi (7 years old), killed, and Etaf Al-Ramlawi. Khaled’s daughter, Sham Al-Ramlawi, was also injured.
According to @nanouhnm, members of the Ramlawi family placed a distress call from under the rubble and were then rescued by the defense crews. Flowra Nu’man Al Masri posted the voice call from the family, where they said “We are sending a call for help from under the rubbles of 4th floor of Al Taj 3 building and our names are Khaled Saed Al Ramlawi, Osama Al Daki, Saeed Amer Al Ramlawi, Hamoud Ahmad Al Ramlawi.” The source added that the survivors were recovering well, while another source added that the family members had been under the rubble for 8 hours before they were rescued.
Soha Mohamedeen posted a condolence message for his colleague and brother Amer Al-Ramlawi (Abu Al-Saeed) who described as being “respected, able, and wise”. Khaled Al Ramlaw mourned “the martyrdom of my sister, the love of my heart and the joy of my eyes (Yasmine Ahmed Al-Ramlawi) and her eldest son, the martyr (Anas Hazem Al-Ramlawi)”.
Khaled Al Ramlawi wrote about spending the morning of the strike with Alina Al-Ramlawi: “I woke up and found Sham and Alina playing, so I called Sham, and Alina came with her, as if she was telling me these are my last hours in this world. I want to play with you, because you will never see me again. Alina went as a martyr to a merciful and kind God, and was buried in the same red clothes of hers. As for Sham, she remained alive as a witness to the crime. She was injured in the face and foot, after thousands of tons of explosives were thrown at us… Will Sham remember her sister, Alina, when she grows up?”
The Bakhit family
A post by Majid Said memorialized Mr. Saeed Bakhit “Abu Osama” and his sons and Dr. Muhammad Bakhit *Abu Yasser* and his family.
An additional victim was mentioned by Mohmmad Shabir, who posted a condolence message for his uncle, Sakhr Yahya Shabir, who was killed.
The Mansour family also put out an appeal to have their family members rescued the day after the bombing noting that members of their family were still missing under the rubble.
Images posted by @Yasser_Gaza show men, women, and children being treated for their injuries in Al-Shifa hospital. Medical services – Gaza Strip posted images of the ambulance and emergency crews at the General Directorate of Ansar Station pulling killed and injured civilians from the rubble. According to @alyredaa, more than 500 people were in the residential tower when the bombing occurred.
The location of the strikes was identified by @MOHGaza1994 as being the Al-Taj building, Al-Yarmouk Street, Al-Jalaa Street, and Al-Sharq Bakery, as well as the houses around them, resulting in the destruction of dozens of homes, with one source mentioning that the “Al Yarmouk residential neighborhood” was completely destroyed. A tweet from @Osint613 mentioned the strike appeared to target an alleged tunnel network.
Yasmin Hasweh reported that the Taj Residential Towers, which is 12 floors, was flattened by more than 30 bunker-buster bombs which struck the residential square in less than five minutes. The source, along with many others including @OrientNews, specified that the strike occurred without prior warning. Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
This incident occurred the day before the Palestinian Ministry of Health published its list of nearly 7,000 names on October 26th; none of those killed in this strike could be identified among the MoH list.
*Airwars has quantified the youngest generation of each family as children based on available images due to the lack of ages found for the victims.
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 incident occured in the afternoon.
