Investigations

Investigations

Palestinians inspect the ruins of Watan Tower destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza city, on October 8, 2023 (Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, reproduced under Creative Commons).

Published

November 21, 2023

Written by

Sanjana Varghese

Assisted by

Rowena De Silva

Header Image

Palestinians inspect the ruins of Watan Tower destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza city, on October 8, 2023 (Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, reproduced under Creative Commons).

At least 127 civilian harm allegations in 'safe zone' in first week after evacuation order

Airwars’ investigator Sanjana Varghese spoke to NPR’s Ruth Sherlock about this investigation. You can read the article here.

On October 12th, the Israeli military issued a blanket call for all Palestinians living in the north of the Gaza strip to move south, saying it was “for your own safety”. More than one million people were told to flee, ahead of an expected ground invasion.

The evacuation zone started at Wadi Gaza, which runs through the centre of the Gaza Strip. In theory, civilians fleeing south of that line should have been safer, but Palestinians have reported extensive attacks in civilian areas in the central and southern parts of Gaza.

In the first seven days after the warning – from October 14th to 21st – Airwars’ investigation team tracked and geolocated at least 127 separate allegations of civilian harm from explosive weapons in this southern zone.

Amongst these strikes were many that allegedly hit densely populated neighbourhoods and civilian objects such as schools, hospitals and restaurants. The frequency of these allegations in this supposed safe zone suggests that there was no safe place for civilians in Gaza, despite assurances from Israeli authorities.

Safe to flee?

On October 7th, 2023 Hamas militants broke through the fence that separates Gaza from Israel and killed more than 1,000 people, according to Israeli authorities. In retaliation Israel has dropped thousands of bombs on Gaza ahead of a ground invasion, killing more than 10,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities.

Since October 7th, Airwars’ research team has been tracking every public allegation of civilian harm in order to provide an independent assessment of civilian casualties.

We have already tracked more than 1,000 separate allegations across the Gaza Strip alone; each allegation represents the death or injury of at least one civilian resulting from explosive weapons use. For the most part, these allegations are still being fully assessed by our research team – with additional sources identified, casualty ranges produced, and where possible details on civilian names and biographies captured. You can find full details of the around 40 published incidents here, and more about our methodology here.

But we have also been able to use these allegations to understand overall patterns of harm. By geolocating each harm claim from the week following the IDF’s instructions for civilians to move south, we have been able to pull together a comprehensive database of 127 likely Israeli strikes leading to allegations of civilian harm that occurred the week following the evacuation order. An allegation of civilian harm does not mean that just one civilian was injured or killed; these allegations often involve multiple people, as well as damage to buildings or family homes.

Map of civilian harm allegations, south of Wadi Gaza, between 14-21 October 2023. The red dotted line refers to the Wadi Gaza. Many locations include more than one alleged civilian harm incident. Sanjana Varghese / Airwars. Images via Maxar Technologies / Airbus / Google Earth.

Map of civilian harm allegations, south of Wadi Gaza, between 14-21 October 2023. The red dotted line refers to the Wadi Gaza. Many locations include more than one alleged civilian harm incident. Sanjana Varghese / Airwars. Images via Maxar Technologies / Airbus / Google Earth.

We relied on news reporting, humanitarian agencies and organisations, open source documentation and relevant footage where necessary. We geolocated allegations to six levels of accuracy: area/region, neighbourhood, landmark/building, hospital, street, and an exact location. Any alleged civilian harm incident that we couldn’t geolocate was discounted from our dataset.

The distance from the Wadi Gaza to the Rafah Border Crossing on the southern border of the Gaza strip is roughly 27 kilometres. From east to west across the Gaza strip, the distance is around 6 kilometres at the narrowest point, and 12 kilometres at its widest point.

We found harm allegations on every day following the evacuation order. Just four days after the south was declared to be a safe area, the most civilian harm allegations were documented: twenty four allegations, suggesting at least twenty strikes in an area little longer than Manhattan.

In incidents that have been fully researched by Airwars’ research team, we found that in some cases strikes affected whole families as they sheltered together. In one incident, on October 21st, 2023, an alleged Israeli strike hit a Palestinian civil defence facility, alongside the Dahir family home, in Khirbet-al-adas, Rafah. Between six and ten people were likely killed in this strike and up to 11 injured. Of those killed, at least five were children from the same family, all aged 13 and under. Airwars assessors were able to cross-reference six of the individuals in this assessment with the dataset of names and individual ID numbers released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH).

In another incident on October 15th, in the al-Geneina neighbourhood in Rafah, the home of a doctor, Dr. Salah al-Din Zanoun, was hit. There were likely seven to eight people killed, all of whom were from the same family.  Of those killed, Airwars assessors were able to cross-reference five of the individuals in this assessment with the dataset of names and individual health ID numbers released by the MoH.

We also found that multiple civilian objects – such as hospitals and schools – were hit in the south of Gaza. As people were told to move south – and around 700,000 people, according to the New York Times, did so initially – many took shelter in buildings such as hospitals and schools. In a number of cases large numbers of civilians were crowded together when strikes hit this infrastructure, such as a strike on a UNRWA school in al-Maghazi refugee camp, on October 17th. UNRWA said that around 4,000 people were sheltering at this school. The next day, an alleged airstrike hit another UNRWA school in Khan Younis –  footage from the immediate aftermath clearly showed that groups of people had been using the school as a home, with clothes laid out over external railings around the school.

The scale of this campaign in Gaza makes this one of the most intense conflicts that Airwars has ever monitored – in just the first three weeks of the war, we monitored more individual incidents of harm than in any given month of any conflict Airwars has monitored: including deadly campaigns such as the war against ISIS. Our data also suggests that civilian harm is being compounded by the deteriorating conditions for civilians in Gaza, which is already one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Clarifying note

Airwars uses a grading system to assess our allegations of civilian harm (you can read more about this here). Our assessments are being published in batches once they have been through the full review process.

Airwars has only tracked allegations of civilian harm – this means that there may be attacks with no public allegations of civilian harm which we haven’t included in our dataset.

Incident Code

ISPT0984a

Incident date

November 8, 2023

Location

عمارة الريس في مفترق الصناعة, Al Rayees bulding in Al Sinaa junction, Gaza Strip, the Gaza Strip

Airwars assessment

On November 8, 2023, two brothers – Muhammad Azmi al Rayees and engineer Muayyad Azmi al Rayees, as well as their cousin Fares Faza al Rayees, were killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike while trying to recover the body of their brother Dr. Maisara Al Rayees from the rubble of the Al Rayees family house in Gaza City.

Three days earlier, on November 5, their father Azmi al Rayees, their mother Enaya, their siblings Dr. Maisara, Uraib and Izza, as well as Izza’s three children, were killed by the first alleged Israeli airstrike on the family home. This incident is recorded in casualty assessment ISPT0905.

According to testimony posted on Facebook by Jaser Zourob, a friend of the late Dr. Maisara, ambulance personnel were unable to initially rescue family members due to the shortage of fuel and equipment. Therefore the two brothers tried to remove the bodies themselves in order to check whether “there was someone still breathing”. Jaser Zourob shared his loss of “Father Azmi Al Rayees, sons, Dr. Maisara, our friend, engineer Muayyad, his brother, sisters, and grandchildren. Each of them has a story, a dream, a goal, and an ambition. They are not just numbers, and we are not just numbers.”

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes 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.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Muhammad Azmi Al-Rayes محمد عزمي الريس
male killed
Muayyad Azmi Al-Rayes مؤيد عزمي الريس
male Brother of Muhammad killed
Fares Faza Al-Rayes فارس الريس
Cousin of Muhammad and Muayyad killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 men)
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

    Source: @HuDa_NaIm92
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @HuDa_NaIm92
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @HuDa_NaIm92
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jaser Zourob
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jaser Zourob
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jaser Zourob
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ola Kobbani
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ola Kobbani
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ola Kobbani
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Leqa'a Al Saadi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 men)
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISPT0905

Incident date

November 5, 2023

Location

محيط شارع الصناعة, Vicinity of Al Sinaa Street, Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.509642, 34.443460 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Eight people, including three children, all from the Al Rayees family, were killed on November 5, 2023, when two alleged Israeli missiles hit their seven-story house, the Al-Safadi Building on Al-Sinaa Street.

@Hakeam_ps, a neighbour of Al Rayees family, described their own escape and forced displacement after their house was destroyed in the same strike, adding that they were now isolated without electricity. The source said “What happened could never be described, more like an earthquake, but more violent… Dust stormed the house, fragments everywhere. My mother and her grandchildren were in a state of panic and fear”.

The family members were killed across three generations: grandfather Azmi Al Rayees and his wife Enaya Al Rayees were killed alongside their son, Dr Maisara Azmi Al Rayees, and their daughters, Uraib Al Rayees and Izza Al Rayees. Izza’s three children Karim Ramez Samir Nabhan, Adam Ramez Samir Nabhan, and Sham Ramez Samir Nabhan were killed as well.

Several local sources reported that the bodies of the victims killed could not be rescued due to a lack of suitable equipment to search through the rubble of the family home. @HuDa_NaIm92 said that some neighbors were “digging with their hands under piles of stones and rubble”. Mai Mare on Facebook reported that “There is no hope of retrieving them. There is no equipment, no gasoline or diesel, no bulldozers, nothing.”  Leqa’a Al Saadi said on Facebook that Muhammad Al Rayees and Moayad Al Rayees, two brothers from the Al Rayees family who reportedly survived the attack, “tried in every possible way to search for their family and extract them from under the rubble, hoping to find them or some of them alive”.

The next day, on social media, Amr Tabaza called Palestinians in Gaza to help reach the members of Al Rayees family buried under the rubble, saying “The building is 7 floors… and no one has reached them so far.”. On November 7th, on Twitter, @Ali_Hisham added that Maisara Al Rayees had been buried under the rubble for two days and asked for help to “exhume his body to tell him goodbye one last time”. A second strike was reported in the same location just days after the incident, with additional casualties alleged. This incident will be assessed separately by Airwars.

Dr Maisara Al Rayees was described as a maternal and child health specialist and a graduate of a prestigious UK Foreign Office Chevening Scholarship through which he studied at King’s College London for his master’s degree. Mai Mare said that Maisara worked with Doctors Without Borders. The same source indicated that she had met Maisara two months ago to send him “a special invitation to meet with British Foreign Secretary Cleverly to talk to him face to face about Gaza”. Mai added: “Just last month, I contacted Maisara and asked him if they would like me to work on a video for the Chevening Scholarships as a photo story, telling the story of [him and his wife’s] love, education and work in Gaza, but today, my heart is heavy and worn out with this news.” One source described Maisara as ambitious, kind and calm; someone who loved to help people. He had recently married his partner Laura Al Hayyek, whom he met on the scholarship programme. Laura Al Hayyek, an employee of the United Nations and a graduate of the Chevening Scholarship, was reported as killed in the bombing by some sources. However through private communication, Airwars researchers have been able to confirm that she was not present when the strike occurred.

Uraib Al Rayees was described as creative. He was said to be a dentist and a painter.

A BBC article published five days after the strike reported that “The Foreign Office on Wednesday said it was “devastated” and offered condolences to the surviving family and “Chevening Alumni community” over the death of Dr Al Rayees but didn’t give any details about what happened to him, or where.” The handling of this incident reportedly led to internal complaints within the Foreign Office that the government was showing a “permissive approach” to Israel “breaching international humanitarian law””.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes 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.

The victims were named as:

Family members (8)

Azmi Al Rayees عزمي الريّس
Adult male killed
Enaya Al Rayees عناية الريس
Adult female killed
Uraib Al Rayees عريب الريس
Adult female killed
Izza Al Rayees عزة الريس
Adult female killed
Maisara Al Rayees ميسرة عزمي الريّس
Adult male killed
Karim Ramez Samir Nabhan كريم رامز سمير نبهان
Child male killed
Adam Ramez Samir Nabhan آدم رامز سمير نبهان
Child male killed
Sham Ramez Samir Nabhan شام رامز سمير نبهان
Child male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (3 children3 women2 men)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

    Source: @HuDa_NaIm92
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

    Source: Mai Mare
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Tahany Hedar
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Q.D
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

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

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

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes (3) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of Al Sinaa Street (شارع الصناعة) in Gaza city (غَزَّة). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to the following exact coordinates: 31.509642, 34.443460.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"label":"Exact Location","label-type":"black-white"},"geometry":{"coordinates":[34.44346,31.509642],"type":"Point"}},{"type":"Feature","properties":{"label":"B","label-type":"white-red","stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"coordinates":[[[34.443727791200615,31.510501857475987],[34.44352946594998,31.510292697688115],[34.443663151859965,31.510182481563206],[34.44387616786881,31.510405418589997],[34.443727791200615,31.510501857475987]]],"type":"Polygon"}},{"type":"Feature","properties":{"label":"A","label-type":"white-red","stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"coordinates":[[[34.44322215962069,31.509956539046158],[34.44312087119587,31.509844214655985],[34.44325719170635,31.509756562580733],[34.44336761893652,31.50987667836658],[34.44322215962069,31.509956539046158]]],"type":"Polygon"}},{"type":"Feature","properties":{"label":"C","label-type":"white-red","stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"coordinates":[[[34.44357126428039,31.509448555447293],[34.443516001209815,31.509395098310492],[34.44360633507509,31.50933076849445],[34.44365840989215,31.50938513172197],[34.44357126428039,31.509448555447293]]],"type":"Polygon"}}]}
  • Imagery:
    @MuathHumaid

  • Imagery:
    @MuathHumaid

  • Imagery:
    @MuathHumaid

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (3 children3 women2 men)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISPT0783

Incident date

October 31, 2023

Location

مخيم جباليا, Jabalia camp, North Gaza, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.532720, 34.498137 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (other) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On October 31, 2023 confirmed Israeli strikes on the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 126 civilians, including 69 children. A further 280 civilians were reported injured by the director of the nearby Indonesian Hospital.

A second strike hit the same location the following day, though the full casualty assessment for that incident will be reviewed separately by Airwars. Israel has confirmed that it conducted both strikes, with the stated target being Hamas leader Ibrahim Biari, and “his base”, according to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari. Munitions experts speaking to The Guardian indicated that the IDF used so-called bunker buster munitions in the strike: 2,000lb bombs with an estimated crater size of 40ft which cause an “earthquake like” phenomenon on impact.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns on Twitter/X that the strikes may have been “disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes”. Though no official civilian casualty estimate has yet been conceded by Israeli forces, IDF Spokesperson Richard Hech acknowledged that the IDF knew that civilians were present, and said that civilian harm was a “tragedy of war”.

Airwars has identified at least 116 names of civilians killed, including ten cases involving the fatality of more than one member of the same family. In three of these cases, families were reportedly killed in their entirety.

The Al Qassam brigade official page posted that seven civilian hostages taken from Israel by Hamas militants, including three holders of foreign passports, were also killed. These civilians have been included in Airwars’ upper fatality estimate only, as they have not yet been otherwise corroborated.

Numerous accounts on social media of relatives grieving over unnamed family members killed in the bombing have also been accounted for in Airwars’ civilian casualty range. When one source mentioned that a civilian and “his whole family” were reportedly killed, but the victims could not otherwise be identified, Airwars counted two civilians killed in its ranges as a minimum. In cases where sources indicated that “children” were killed without providing further information on the number of victims, Airwars counted two children killed as a minimum.

Sources also reported that “a large number” of victims were still under the rubble after the strikes, with Hamas officials, quoted by the National, reporting that 120 individuals were still missing by November 2nd. These individuals have not yet been included in the Airwars casualty toll. No reports were found to indicate that there had been prior warning of the strike.

“Apocalyptic scenes”

Footage and videos released following the strikes showed vast craters, alongside dozens of onlookers standing on the edges and people searching for survivors. Local sources have widely referred to the bombing as a “massacre”. Pictures published by local and international sources showed entire housing blocks leveled.

CNN said the survivors talked about “apocalyptic scenes in the aftermath of Tuesday’s strike”, with one eyewitness saying “it felt like the end of the world”. “Children were carrying other injured children and running, with grey dust filling the air. Bodies were hanging on the rubble, many of them unrecognizable. Some were bleeding and others were burnt,” Mohammad Al Aswad told CNN.

The Washington Post reported that “Palestinians carried away the injured and dead on blankets and mattresses”. The Guardian described “body bags piled up with horrific speed at the morgue of the nearby Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, and then outside the building” and added that “the wounded filled [the Indonesian Hospital] beds or were raced to Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where medics from the Médicins Sans Frontiers aid group struggled to find space even for badly injured children”.

“Young children arrived at the hospital with deep wounds and severe burns. They came without their families,” said Mohammed Hawajreh, an MSF nurse who was quoted by the organisation in a statement condemning the attack. “Many were screaming and asking for their parents. I stayed with them until we could find a place, as the hospital was full with patients”.

Similarly, @AJA_Egypt described scenes with “rows of corpses and shrouds…Jabalia martyrs piled up in the courtyard of the Indonesian Hospital”.

One source on social media (@rdooan) said the bombing left “a hole filled with the corpses of Palestinian families”, while another source stated that “the bodies of families are crowded on top of each other”.

Rescue efforts to identify civilians in the rubble continued after the strikes, with The Guardian reporting that following the strike, “rescuers combed with their hands through surface layers of a tangled mass of concrete and steel which hours earlier had been homes in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza. They were searching for survivors, or the bodies of victims, which the immense force of an Israeli airstrike had left near the surface. Those trapped deeper may be entombed for months”.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense emergency services, told The Washington Post 20 buildings had been destroyed by the strikes, while Al-Arabiya wrote that the bombing “blew up an entire residential neighborhood”. One source specified that the location hit initially was the Al-Tarnis area of the camp. A number of sources qualified the bombing as a “massacre”. Journalist Anas Al Sharif described the destruction of dozens of homes in the “most populated area in the world”.

Victims identified

In many cases, victims were identified on social media by survivors, relatives or friends.

The Abu Al Qoumsan family

At least 21 members of the family of Al-Jazeera broadcast engineer Muhammad Abu Al Qoumsan were killed in Jabalia. Relative of the Abu Al Qoumsan family, Mahmoud Abu Al Qoumsan, announced on Twitter/X the deaths of his relatives, namely: the three brothers Abu Al Thib Abu Al Qoumsan (Mahmoud Abo Al Qoumsan’s father), Abu Anas Abu Al Qoumsan, Abu Firas Abu Al Qoumsan. He also announced the deaths of Abu Firas  Abu Al Qoumsan’s wife (name not provided), her two sons Wasel Abu Al Qoumsan and Mohannad Abu Al Qoumsan, and her two daughters Nabough Abu Al Qoumsan and Abrar Abu Al Qoumsan.

He also recorded the deaths of Umayya Abu Al Qoumsan (Mahmoud Abu Al Qoumsan’s sister), and of his sister-in-law, described as the wife of his big brother Thib Abu Al Qoumsan. While her name was not provided, the names of her children were: two daughters Rahaf  Abu Al Qoumsan and Layan  Abu Al Qoumsan, and three sons Abdullah  Abu Al Qoumsan, Mohammed  Abu Al Qoumsan, and Aboud  Abu Al Qoumsan.

Imam Abu Al Qoumsan (Mahmoud Abo Al Qoumsan’s sister), and her three sons Yamen, Zain and Yazeed were also reportedly killed. Um Mohammed Abu Al Qoumsan, an Abu Al Qoumsan relative, said that her sister “Jamila Yusef Abu Al-Qumsan, mother of Rami Ahjazi” was also killed in the incident. It is unclear if she is one of the wives unnamed previously.

Ra’ed Abu Al Qoumsan announced the deaths of his father, of his uncle Abu Firas, of his uncle’s wife and children – (the uncle, his wife and children have already been included above), of his sisters and their children, of his brother’s wife and her children. No names or ages were provided by this source, and it was unclear whether all of those victims have also been listed above.

One additional woman from Al Qoumsan family unit, Marwa Basil Abu Al Qoumsan was identified killed by Al-Jazeera staff on social media. It was unclear whether Marwa was an additional victim, or whether her identity matched one of the women reportedly killed but whose name had not been provided.

To avoid double counting the deaths of members of Abu Al Qoumsan family, where names were not provided by other sources, Airwars has considered these individuals were already named in the sources above in minimum estimates, though have been considered as additional family members in our maximum estimate.

The Siraj family

A man identified as Abdul Salam Siraj was reportedly killed alongside all the members of his family. Ismail Mohammad Foda posted on Facebook: “My friend Abdul Salam Siraj, his entire family was exterminated in Jabalia… his mother, his wife, his two daughters, two sisters, three brothers, and his uncle’s entire family”. Airwars has been unable to separately identify the uncle’s family, and so has counted these as at least two individuals in our minimum range.

The Khudair Ali family

Muhammad Ali announced on Twitter/X the deaths of nine of his relatives that he described as “my beloved ones, my heart and my soul, my support in my country, my cousins and my sisters, in the treacherous massacre in Jabalia camp”.

He identified the victims as Fadi Khudair Ali and his wife (name not provided), Muhammad Khudair Ali, Malak Khudair Ali (described as his cousin), Khadra Jaber Ali (his aunt), and Khadra’s children: Ahmed, Zainab and Muhammad. He also named his cousin’s sons Haidar and Kanan Al-Daour. Another source said that “Umm Fadi” was grieving her sons and daughters, all killed in the Jabaliya bombing.

The Masoud family

A friend of Omar Masoud “Al-Abeka” announced Omar’s death, alongside the deaths of his wife Donia Bashir and their four children (a son and three daughters). The source described Omar as a former prisoner who was detained for twenty years for killing an Israeli, before he got released, getting married and having children. The names of Omar’s family members were not provided by the source. Sources did not explain if Omar Masoud was imprisoned for being a member of a militant group, and also did not state if Masoud was a member of a militant group at the time of his death.

The Abu Sultan family

Nine members were reportedly killed from the Abu Sultan family, which one source said was killed in its entirety.

Omar Mustafa Abu Sultan and his wife Sahar Abu Sultan (Al-Hoor), and their five children (four sons and one daughter) Mahmoud Omar Abu Sultan, Ahmed Omar Abu Sultan, Muhammad Omar Abu Sultan, Abdullah Omar Abu Sultan, and their daughter named Shahd Omar Abu Sultan. Ahmed Omar Abu Sultan’s wife, and his daughter were also reportedly killed (though names were not provided by the source). On the deaths of the Abu Sultan family, on Facebook, Suhil Yahya posted: There are no relatives or loved ones left, they are all gone”.

The Hamad Family

Medhat Khalil and two other sources reported the death of Kamal Hamad “Abu Diaa” and his son (unnamed) in the Jabalia bombing.

The Al-Tanani family

Two children from the Al-Tanani family were reported killed by one source, namely Ahmed Salah Dhiyab Al-Tanani and Mahmoud Muhammad Dhiyab Al-Tanani. Their age was not provided by the source.

The Okasha family

At least 26 members of the Okasha family were reported killed in the strikes. This includes husband and wife Rawand Okasha Umm Kinan and Belal Okasha, alongside their three children, as reported by their relatives Mohammad Okasha and Abood Okasha. The children’s uncle Ziad Okasha Abu Iyad and his wife Manal Okasha “Al-Najjar” were also reported killed alongside their son Youssef Ziad Okasha and sons of their late uncle Naeem Abu Raed.

Another cousin, Raed Okasha, his children, and his wife, their cousin Muhammad Okasha and his three children Rakan, Amid, and Masa were also listed among the fatalities, alongside their cousin Yasser Okasha, his children and his wife, their cousin Nael Okasha, his children and his wife Islam Muhammad Al-Kafarna Okasha. A video posted on Facebook by Mohammed Okasha showed Yasser Okasha in combat gear wearing weapons, suggesting he may have been a militant. 

A post from Mona Sahle added additional names and offered her condolences to her cousin Nasser Okasha Abu Muhammad for the loss of Nasser’s daughter, her husband, and their children. Muhammad Okasha and his three children are survived by their wife and mother Samah Abu Saltah who was born in the Balata camp, and moved between Gaza and Nablus. Mohammed Okasha added the names Thaer Naeem Okasha and his family, and Muhammad Fayez Al-Zwaidi.

The Alyan family

Jehad Al Sharawi posted a memorial to her uncle Muhammad, uncle Hussein, and the Alyan family for the loss of: Youssef Muhammad Alyan, Mahmoud Jabr Alyan, Karim Majid Alyan. Ziad Alyan also posted a memorial for his brother Mahmoud Jabr Alyan.

The Omrain family

Faraj Abo Mohammed announced five deaths from Abu Al-Omrain family : Ahmed Akram Abu Al-Omrain, Reem Muhammad Al-Firi (Abu Al-Amrain), Muhammad’s wife, and of three children: Rital Youssef Abu Al-Amrain, Abdul Karim Youssef Abu Al-Amrain and Zaher Ramadan Abu Al-Amrain.

The Rayyan family

Reuters published a video of a Jabaliya resident, identified as Abdel Kareem Rayyan, holding a paper listing the names of the 15 family members that he claimed were killed in the Israeli strikes. Abdel Kareem Rayyan declared to Reuters: “I lost my whole family, 15 of them. They were innocent, just staying in the camp. What wrong did they do? All of them were killed. My sister’s house with her children, my brother’s house with his children, all of my siblings, no one left except me and my younger brother. Fifteen people, these are their names – they are innocent an kind, it’s literally a massacre, complete destruction. All of the alley, 20 houses were demolished”.

Airwars was able to identify the following names from the list he showed to Reuters: Raed Ahmad Rayyan, Hanna Rayyan, Sa’ed Rayyan, Maher Rayyan, Anwar Rayyan, Jannah RayyanRaed Sa’ed Rayyan, Hanaa Sa’ed Rayyan, Mahmoud Sa’ed RayyanGhassan Mohammed Rayyan, Israa Mohammed Rayyan, Mujahid Mohammed Rayyan, Masa Mohammed RayyanIman Saed Abou Hamdan, Karam Abdulkarim Rayyan.

Another man identified as Hassan Ahmed Rayan told Reuters in the same video “The house had 15 people in it, until this moment we cannot reach any of them. Since yesterday, we’ve been trying to find anyone, but we couldn’t. There is no equipment, no civil defense teams, it’s all personal efforts to remove the rubble”.

On social media, Ahmad Abi Ibrahim announced the deaths of his relatives his cousin and brother in law Raed Rayan Abu Saed, his “beloved sister Hanna”, described as Saed’s mother, Saed’s sister identifed as Anwar, and her sons. Janna is referred to as a younger sister with who they “recently celebrated her success in high school”.

Maher is described as a ” decent young man, [who] spent his life in obedience to God, between the mosque and the university. He completed his education as a doctor and volunteered to treat the wounded in the Indonesian Hospital at the beginning of the outbreak of the current war on Gaza.” Nassma Jamal published on Facebook: “May God have mercy on the martyrs of the Rayyan family, relatives and cousins, who were martyred while they were steadfast and sitting in their homes in the Jabalia camp massacre. The martyr Abu Saed Raed Rayan, his wife, children and some of his grandchildren, his son Saed Rayan, his wife and children, and the wife of cousin Abu Ghassan Rayan and her children. Fifteen people, most of them children.” Airwars has estimated the minimum number of children killed in the Rayan family to be six, though the exact number is not yet clear.

In addition to the victims identified alongside other family members outlined above, Airwars also identified an individual named Juma Muhammad Al-Shaarawi, whose death was announced by Baraa Samir describing Al-Shaarawi as a “good and decent young neighbor”.

Unnamed victims

As in many incidents of civilian harm, not all victims were named by sources.

The Izz Al Din Al Qassam brigade official page posted that seven civilian hostages taken from Israel by Hamas militants, including three holders of foreign passports, were killed. The identity of the hostages was not provided.

Airwars also archived a number of videos where relatives or friends spoke about their losses surrounded by scenes of desolation.

In one video published by @Roaastudies and by Middle East Eye, an unnamed Palestinian man present at the scene of the incident was recorded explaining to the camera that he had three children and “not one has survived”. He is seen collapsing at the site of the bombing screaming: “My three children are all gone! My three children, Oh God! My three children! That other day, he told me to come, he told me “Come Dad””. A man holding him replies “Maybe we’ll find one, maybe we’ll find one alive”. The camera holder then says, “this is my friend, he just lost his family”.

@ramiaalibrahim published a video including another Palestinian man whose name was not identified, was filmed walking around the rubble screaming “my son is a martyr, oh God!”, while an additional video published by @Yasser_Gaza on Twitter/X showed a grieving mother who reportedly “lost all of her children“.

On social media, one video released by @Palestinealaa19 showed a father and his son at the scene of the bombing – the young adolescent was crying over bodies in plastic bags of members of his family lined up on the street. The father can be heard telling his son “you can’t collapse, you can’t cry, this is our destiny, we are not better than them, look they are all around us, we don’t forget them and the other 8,000 people – without counting those under the rubble, at least we got out, at least we knew who they are”.

In one video published by @AJArabicnet, a child critically injured in the bombing asked his relative to give him water, while another video released by @Ahmed_GR00 shows a young girl injured with blood on her clothes. The source alleged that she lost the sight of her eyes but at the time of the recording was not aware of her fate.

@shamel__news published a video of two young girls and one young boy rescued from the rubble from Jabalia. @visegrad24 mentioned on Twitter/X the case of a young boy rescued from the rubble by rescuers at the site but no further information was provided regarding the child’s identity. Documenting similar scenes, AP recorded “Young men [carrying] the limp forms of two children from the upper floors of the crumbling frame of one damaged apartment building, while helping down another child and woman. It was unclear whether the children were alive or dead. Gray dust, apparently left by pulverized concrete, seemed to coat nearly everything.”

One Twitter/X the user @Mohammed78990 published a video of a baby followed by this comment: “painful scene from the Jabaliya massacre”. The same source explained that the mother was killed in the bombing. In another video released by @AJA_Palestine, a young man and his young sister were filmed sitting on the rubble crying over the death of their father. 

Overall casualty estimates provided by sources

Initial reporting following the first Israeli bombing on October 31st recorded “a number of martyrs” and “dozens” injured, with Bellingcat setting the initial death toll at “at least 40 killed”, followed by the Guardian which initially reported that “47 bodies were “recovered from the rubble after an explosion in several houses in Jabalia camp”, analysing video footage published by Agence France-Presse.

The director of the Indonesian hospital, Mohamed el-Ron, told the BBC that the hospital recorded 400 casualties, “including 120 dead”, the majority being “women and children”. In a press conference held at that hospital on October 31st, doctors announced that “at 4pm the Indonesian hospital received a high number of killed and injured after an attack on residential block in Jabaliya camp”. The medical staff stated that “one staff member lost four members of his family during the strike.” The same source added that the number of civilian casualties was bigger than their capacity. A number of sources reported “hundreds of injured and killed” following the two declared rounds of strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday. – with @ajmubasher reporting “more than 400 martyrs and wounded”, without further details.

On October 31st, the Palestinian Ministry of Health initially counted “50 martyrs and around 150 wounded and dozens under the rubble in a heinous Israeli massacre that targeted a large area of homes in Jabalia camp”. Later in the day, the MoH said it feared at least 100 had been killed in the bombing, and hundreds others injured, according to @ariel_oseran.

Airwars’ civilian fatality range reflects the number of individuals identified by local sources (both named and unnamed). As per our methodology, where specific numbers of civilians were not explicitly mentioned (such as reference to ‘multiple’ children), we have counted these as at least two casualties. Very few sources were able to report on exact numbers of those injured in the first strike, so Airwars has taken the number originally shared by the Indonesian Hospital of 280 injured civilians.

Israel Defense Forces statements on civilian harm

IDF spokesperson Lt Col Richard Hech acknowledged the Israeli strike had “destroyed a big chunk” of the Jabaliya camp. Hech declared that Israeli forces were aware that the area they targeted was an area where many civilians lived but refused to comment on any civilian casualties resulting from their actions. He justified the strike saying that their focus was on “a senior Hamas commander” who “sadly…was hiding again as they do behind the [sic] within civilians. And that’s all I can say at this point. (…)”.

Similarly, The Guardian reported that according to the IDF “some cavities seen in images of destroyed camp buildings were created by the collapse of tunnels that had been dug by Hamas, which [IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari] said chooses to put key military infrastructure below areas where many civilians gather.”

Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus quoted by AP News stated that the apartment buildings collapsed “only because the vast underground Hamas complex had been destroyed.” Similarly, AP News reported that “Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said an underground Hamas installation beneath a targeted building collapsed, toppling other nearby buildings. Conricus later said the main strike had hit between buildings. “We don’t intend for the ground to collapse,” he told reporters. “But the issue is that Hamas built their tunnels there and that they’re running their operations from there.”

Though the IDF did not confirm the exact numbers of civilian casualties, interviews conducted with IDF spokespeople indicate that Israeli forces have acknowledged civilian harm as a result of their strikes on Jabaliya camp. Airwars has therefore graded the civilian harm status of this incident as “confirmed”, and archived relevant excerpts from interviews in the ‘strike report’ section at the end of this assessment.

Combatant fatalities

The October 31st strike was reportedly intended to target Ibrahim Bari, described as a top commander of Hamas’s central Jabalia battalion, and a key commander during the deadly attack inside Israel on October 7th. Israeli forces believed that Biari had also been “leading fighting in northern Gaza from a network of tunnels under the camp,” according to The Guardian.

According to The Guardian, Daniel Hagari announced Biari’s death alongside “scores” of Hamas militants – without providing the total number of combatants killed. He added that the strike on the building Biari was in “led to the collapse of other things because there was a very extensive infrastructure there.”

@AvichayAdraee on Twitter/X released an IDF video in Arabic where Israeli forces claimed to have killed Hamas leader Ibrahim Al Bayari on October 31st in middle of Jabalia, alongside “many elite members” of Hamas. During a briefing (quoted by The Guardian), IDF spokesperson Hagari declared that “There are dozens of terrorists that have been killed with [Bayari], and the ‘metro’ underneath has collapsed, so it made this hole that you see in the area. We are dealing with terrorists that build the system of infrastructure of terror underneath the Jabalia refugee camp for a big reason. They want this picture of destruction.”

Hamas militants “strongly denied the presence of one of its leaders in the refugee camp” according to CNN, with AP adding that “Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem denied the military’s claim, saying it was trying to justify “its heinous crime” against civilians.”

With ambiguity around the exact number of militants killed, Airwars has applied a 12-24 combatant casualty range to account for comments such as ‘dozens’ of targets killed.

Munitions used

While a video of the moment of the bombing was released by IDF forces on social media, the IDF spokesperson reportedly refused to comment on the number of munitions used or their types or identify “which craters were caused by tunnel collapses” – indicating that Israel would provide information at a later stage, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian reported “at least five craters in the densely populated refugee camp, which weapons experts said were left by the use of multiple JDAMs – joint direct attack munitions – in the airstrike.” Former Pentagon munitions expert Marc Garlasco also told The Guardian that “the biggest crater at the site looked like a hit with a GBU-31.” “There are other bombs it could be. That one just fits best with all the evidence. The estimated crater is around 40 ft [12 metres]””.

A former United Nations weapons inspector Chris Cobb-Smith, told The Guardian, “The munition is almost certainly JDAM, either a GBU 31 (Warhead Mark 84) general purpose bomb or possibly a GBU 56 (Warhead BLU 109) bunker buster. Both about 2,000lb [900kg].”

According to The Guardian: “The GBU (guided bomb unit) is a precision-guided air-to-surface weapon system. It is part of the Israeli arsenal provided by the US and also manufactured by Israel under contract. These Boeing-manufactured GBUs use a tritotal, which is an explosive mix of TNT and aluminium powder, used commonly in air-dropped bombs. The Israeli air force recently posted images of dozens of GBU-31 being loaded on planes. “This fits our analysis. You can see the size of the bomb and guidance straps, which are the signature of the GBU-31,” added Garlasco.””

Garlasco also told The Guardian that “the type of munitions he believes were used would have met stated Israeli military goals of hitting underground tunnels, but also caused extensive damage above ground. If they are set to have a delayed detonation, which is one of three options on the bomb, they cause an earthquake-like phenomenon when they do explode. “JDAMs will burrow through the ground, and have a delayed detonation, causing the building to collapse on itself. This explains the extent of the damage,” he said. “Buildings also collapse due to the blast wave, not just tunnels”.

According to Bellingcat, on October 31, “Reports began to appear online about 2:30 pm local time (…) A Reuters live stream filming towards Jabalia and Gaza City appears to have captured a large explosion at approximately 2:24pm local time, consistent with the earliest reports of the strike on Jabalia.” This observation matched The Guardian’s findings, which noted that “The first online reports of Tuesday’s attack came at about 2.30pm local time. A Reuters live stream captured the moment of impact a few minutes earlier.” According to The Guardian, relying on Reuters video footage and other media content, the exact location of the strike was narrowed to buildings at the intersection of Al Mouhawel and Al Almey streets.

Note that at the time of publication of this assessment, the Ministry of Health had not yet released an update to the list of named fatalities originally published on October 26th.

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 at 14:30:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (21)

Abu Al Thib Abo Al Qoumsan أبو الذيب أبو القمصان
Adult male Mahmoud Abo Al Qoumsan's father killed
Abu Anas Abo Al Qoumsan أبو أنس أبو القمصان
Adult male killed
Abo Firas Abo Al Qoumsan أبو فراس أبو القمصان
Adult male killed
Abo Firas Abo Al Qoumsan's wife زوجة أبو فراس أبو القمصان
Adult female killed
Wasel Abo Al-Quoumsan واصل أبو القمصان
Child male Abo Firas's son killed
Mohannad Abo Al Qoumsan مهند أبو القمصان
Child male Abo Firas's son killed
Nabough Abo Al Qoumsan نبوغ أبو القمصان
Child female Abo Firas's daughter killed
Abrar Abo Al Qoumsan أبرار أبو القمصان
Child female Abo Firas's daughter killed
Umayya Abo Al Qoumsan أمية أبو القمصان
Adult female “Mahmoud Abo Al Qoumsan”'s sister killed
Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's wife زوجة ذيب أبو القمصان
Adult female killed
Rahaf Abo Al Qoumsan رهف أبو القمصان
Child female Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's daughter killed
Layan Abo Al Qoumsan ليان أبو القمصان
Child female Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's daughter killed
Abdullah Abo Al Qoumsan عبدالله أبو القمصان
Child male Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's son killed
Mohammed Abo Al Qoumsan محمد أبو القمصان
Child male Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's son killed
Aboud Abo Al Qoumsan عبود أبو القمصان
Child male Thib Abo Al Qoumsan's son killed
Iman Abo Al-Qoumsan أيمان أبو القمصان
Adult female Mahmoud Abo Al Qoumsan's sister killed
Yamen Abo Al-Qoussan يامن أبو القمصان
Child male Imam's son killed
Zain Abo Al-Qoussan زين أبو القمصان
Child male Imam's son killed
Yazeed Abo Al-Qoussan يزيد أبو القمصان
Child male Imam's son killed
Jamila Yusef Abu Al-Qumsan جميلة يوسف أبو القمصان
Adult female mother of Rami Ahjazi killed
Marwa Basil Abu Al-Qumsan مروة أبو القمصان
Adult female killed

Family members (12)

Abdul Salam Siraj عبد السلام سراج
Adult male killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's mother أم عبدالسلام سراج
Adult female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's wife زوجة عبدالسلام سراج
Adult female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's daughter ابنة عبدالسلام سراج
Child female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's daughter ابنة عبدالسلام سراج
Child female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's sister أخت عبدالسلام سراج
Adult female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's sister أخت عبدالسلام سراج
Adult female killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's brother أخ عبدالسلام سراج
Adult male killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's brother أخ عبدالسلام سراج
Adult male killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's brother أخ عبدالسلام سراج
Adult male killed
Abdul Salam Siraj's uncle عم عبدالسلام سراج
male
Another family member of Abdul Salam Siraj's uncle عم عبدالسلام سراج
(source mentions all of his uncle's family were killed - no number provided)

Family members (10)

Fadi Khudair Ali فادي خضير علي
Adult male killed
Fadi Khudair Ali's wife زوجة فادي خضير علي
Adult female killed
Muhammad Khudair Ali محمد خضير علي
Adult male killed
Malak Khudair Ali ملاك خضير علي
Adult male killed
Khadra Jaber Ali خضرة جابر علي
Adult female killed
Ahmed Jaber Ali أحمد جابر علي
Child male Khadra's son killed
Zainab Jaber Ali زينب جابر علي
Child female Khadra's daughter killed
Muhammad Jaber Ali محمد جابر علي
Child male Khadra's son killed
Haidar Al-Daour حيدر الداعور
Child male Muhammad Ali's cousin's son killed
Kanan Al-Daour كنان الداعور
Child male Muhammad Ali's cousin's son killed

Family members (6)

Omar Mas’oud عمر مسعود
Adult male former prisoner - civilian status unclear killed
Donia Bashir دنيا البشر
Adult female killed
Son of Omar and Dunya
Child male killed
Daughter of Omar and Dunya
Child female killed
Daughter of Omar and Dunya
Child female killed
Daughter of Omar and Dunya
Child female killed

Family members (9)

Omar Mustafa Abu Sultan عمر مصطفى أبو سلطان
Adult male killed
Sahar Al-Hoor سحر الهور
Adult female Omar's wife killed
Ahmed Omar Abu Sultan أحمد عمر أبو سلطان
Adult male Omar and Sahar's son killed
Ahmed Omar Abu Sultan's wife زوجة أحمد عمر أبو سلطان
Adult female killed
Ahmed Omar Abu Sultan's daughter ابنة عمر أبو سلطان
Child female killed
Muhammad Omar Abu Sultan محمد عمر أبو سلطان
Child male Son of Omar and Saher, killed
Abdullah Omar Abu Sultan عبدالله أبو سلطان
Child male Son of Omar and Saher killed
Mahmoud Omar Abu Sultan محمود أبو سلطان
Child male Son of Omar and Saher, killed
Shahd Abu Sultan شهد أبو سلطان
Child female Daughter of Omar and Saher killed

Family members (2)

Ahmed Salah Dhiyab Al-Tanani أحمد جمعة صالح ذياب الطناني
Child male killed
Mahmoud Muhammad Dhiyab Al-Tanani محمود محمد صالح الطناني
Child male Ahmed's brother killed

Family members (5)

Ahmed Akram Abu Al-Omrain أحمد أكرم أبو العمرين
Adult male killed
Reem Muhammad Al-Firi ريم محمد الفيري
Adult female Ahmed's wife killed
Rital Youssef Abu Al-Omrain ريتال يوسف أبوالعمرين
Child female Ahmed and Reem's child killed
Abdul Karim Youssef Abu Al-Omrain عبدالكريم يوسف أبوالعمرين
Child male Ahmed and Reem's child killed
Zaher Ramadan Abu Al-Omrain زاهر رمضان أبو العمرين
Child male Ahmed and Reem's child killed

Family members (15)

Raed Ahmad Rayyan رائد أحمد ريان
Adult male killed
Hanna Rayyan هناء ريان
Adult female wife of Raed Rayyan "Abu Saedd" killed
Sa’ed Rayyan سائد ريان
Child male Hanna and Raed's son killed
Maher Rayyan ماهر ريان
Adult male Doctor killed
Anwar Rayyan أنوار ريان
Child female Hanna and Raed's daughter killed
Jannah Rayyan جنة ريان
Child female killed
Raed Sa’ed Rayyan رائد سائد ريان
Age unknown male killed
Hanaa Sa’ed Rayyan هناء سائد ريان
Age unknown female killed
Mahmoud Sa’ed Rayyan محمود سائد ريان
Age unknown male killed
Ghassan Mohammed Rayyan غسان محمد ريان
Age unknown male killed
Israa Mohammed Rayyan سراء محمد ريان
Age unknown female killed
Mujahid Mohammed Rayyan مجاهد محمد ريان
Age unknown male killed
Masa Mohammed Rayyan ماسة محمد ريان
Age unknown female killed
Iman Saed Abou Hamdan يمان سائد ابو حمدان
Age unknown female killed
Karam Abdulkarim Rayyan كرم عبدالكريم ريان
Age unknown male killed

Family members (3)

Mahmoud Jabr Alyan محمود جبر عليان
Age unknown male killed
Youssef Muhammad Alyan يوسف محمد عليان
Age unknown male killed
Karim Majid Alyan كريم ماجد عليان
Age unknown male killed

Family members (26)

Rawnd Okasha روند عكاشة
Adult female killed
Bilal Okasha بلال عكاشة
Adult male Rawnd's husband killed
Child of Bilal and Rawnd Okasha طفل بلال وروند
Child killed
Child of Bilal and Rawnd Okasha طفل بلال وروند
Child killed
Child of Bilal and Rawnd Okasha طفل بلال وروند
Child killed
Ziad Okasha زياد عكاشة
Adult male killed
Manal Al-Najjar منال النجار
Adult female Ziad's wife killed
Youssef Ziad Okasha يوسف زياد عكاشة
Child male Son of Ziad and Manal killed
Raed Okasha رائد عكاشة
Adult male killed
Raed Okasha's child
Child killed
Raed Okasha's child
Child killed
Raed Okasha's wife
Adult female Raed's wife killed
Nael Okasha نائل عكاشة
Adult male killed
Islam Mohammed al Kafarna اسلام محمد الكفارنة
Adult female Nael's wife killed
Nael Okasha's child
Child killed
Nael Okasha's child
Child killed
Yasser Okasha's child
Child killed
Yasser Okasha's child
Child killed
Yasser Okasha's wife
Adult female killed
Thaer Naeem Okasha ثائر نعيم عكاشة
Adult male killed
Thaer Naeem Okasha's relative
Age unknown killed
Muhammad Fayez Al-Zwaidi. محمد فايز الزويدي
Age unknown male killed
Muhammad Okasha محمد عكاشة
Adult male killed
Masa Okasha ماسة عكاشة
Child female Daughter of Mohammed killed
Rakan Okasha راكان عكاشة
Child male Son of Mohammed killed
Ameed, Okasha عميد عكاشة
Child male Son of Mohammed killed

Family members (2)

Kamal Hamad "Abu Diaa" كمال حمد
Adult male killed
Kamal Hamad's son
Child male killed

The victims were named as:

Jumaa Mohammed Al Sharawi جمعة محمد الشعراوي
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    126 – 136
  • (69 children22 women28 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    280
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–24

Sources (106) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (152) [ 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: @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: @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: @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: @TheUKAr
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

    Source: Anas Al Sharif
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Anas Al Sharif
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Anas Al Sharif
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Anas Al Sharif
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Anas Al Sharif
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

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

    Source: @Jales_tinian2
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Emad
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Ali
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Ali
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rami Aroki
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rami Aroki
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rami Aroki
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Um Mohammed Abo Al Qoumsan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine voice radio
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine voice radio
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine voice radio
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Palestine voice radio
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alaraby television
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alaraby television
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alaraby television
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alaraby television
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khader Sultan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khader Sultan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khader Sultan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khader Sultan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khader Sultan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Suhil Yahya
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Suhil Yahya
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Suhil Yahya
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdullah Al Hor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdullah Al Hor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abdullah Al Hor
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Raed Abo Al Qoumsan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ra’ed Abo Al Qoumsan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jehad Al Sharawi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jehad Al Sharawi
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ziad Alyan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Baraa Samir
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Abood Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mais Al Reem
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mohammed Okasha
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamouda Abo Malek
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Hamouda Abo Malek
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Khaled Abo Al Hour
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Salah salama
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Salah salama
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Salah salama
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Journalist Adel Za’rab
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Faraj Abo Mohammed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Faraj Abo Mohammed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Faraj Abo Mohammed
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bellingcat Report
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bellingcat Report
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bellingcat Report
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Bellingcat Report
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The Guardian News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

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

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

    Source: CNN News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: CNN News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: CNN News
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention strikes on the Jabalia camp (مخيم جباليا). Satellite imagery shared by Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) shows the strike location at the following exact coordinates: 31.533320, 34.499070.

  • Imagery:
    @trbrtc

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

CNN Wolf Blitzer Interview w/ IDF Spokesperson Richard Hecht

WB
Back now to our breaking news here in the Middle East. A massive explosion at the largest refugee camp in Gaza. Joining us now is Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht. He's the international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. Thanks so much for joining us. I want to ask you first about this massive blast that we all just saw. We saw the video at the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. Is there anything more you can, first of all, tell us about how this explosion happened?

RH
Hi Wolf. Thanks for having me. So we'll be coming out in the next hopefully hour with more data. But I can update you now that there was a very senior Hamas commander in that area. Sadly, he was hiding again, as they do behind the [sic] within civilians. And that's all I can say at this point. We're looking into it and we'll be coming out with more data as we learn what happened there.

WB
So can you confirm it was an Israeli attack that destroyed a big chunk of that Jabalya refugee camp?

RH
Yes, I can. We when we were focused on the target, a senior commander, Wolf, I will be updating you with more data as the hour moves ahead.

WB
But even if that Hamas commander was there, amidst all those Palestinian refugees who are in there in that Jabalya refugee camp, Israel still went ahead and dropped a bomb there attempting to kill this Hamas uh this Hamas commander. Knowing that a lot of innocent civilians, men, women and children, presumably would be killed, is that what I'm hearing?

RH
That's not what you're hearing, Wolf. We again, we're focused on this commander, again, who you'll get more data who this man was, killed many, many Israelis. And we're doing everything we can. These are, it's a very complicated battle space. That could be infrastructure there. There could be tunnels there. And we're still looking into and we'll give you more data as the hour moves ahead.

WB
But you know that there are a lot of refugees, a lot of innocent civilians, men, women and children in that refugee camp as well. Right?

RH
This is the tragedy of war, Wolf. I mean, we as you know, we've been saying for days, move south. If civilians are not involved with Hamas, please move south.

WB
I’m just trying to get a little bit more information. You knew there were civilians there.
You knew there were refugees, all sorts of refugees. But you decided to still drop a bomb on that refugee camp attempting to kill this Hamas commander. By the way, was he killed?

RH
I can't confirm yet. There will be more updated. Yes, we know that he was killed and about the civilians there, we're doing everything we can to minimize. I'll tell you, I'll say again, sadly, they are hiding themselves within the civilian population. And again, we are doing this stage by stage, and we're going to go after every one of these terrorists who was involved in that heinous attack on the 7th of October Wolf.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    126 – 136
  • (69 children22 women28 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    280
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Known target
    Palestinian Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    12–24

Sources (106) [ collapse]

Published

October 2023

Overview

This overview is intended to accompany the publication of our incidents of civilian harm related to the use of explosive weapons in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

Airwars applies the same general methodology to all conflicts monitored, which is available on our website here. This methodology has been assessed as highly conformant with Every Casualty’s Standards for Casualty Recording.

This methodology note explains in detail how we are applying our standard approach to monitoring civilian harm incidents in Gaza from explosive weapons use. Additional methodology notes will be released tailored to each other monitoring area, such as civilian harm in Israel from the actions of Hamas militants.

Read more about our casualty recording work

In June 2023, at the Human Rights Council’s 53rd session, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presented its report on the impact of casualty recording on the promotion and protection of human rights, which included a number of references to Airwars’ casualty recording efforts.

Our work has also been researched by academics at the University of Sydney, Heather Ford and Michael Richardson, in their paper: Framing data witnessing: Airwars and the production of authority in conflict monitoring. You can read an executive summary of their findings here.

Dataset overview

All incidents are an aggregate of all open source accounts alleging civilian harm occurred in a particular moment in space and time. We consider our incidents as ‘live’, and should be updated over time to account for new information that may come to light, or may not have been identified by Airwars during the original research.

Defining an incident

Airwars uses an incident-based approach to document harm to civilians from explosive weapons use: each incident is defined as a moment in time and space where sources alleged that an explosive weapon led to the fatality or injury of civilians. This does not include incidents where only militants were killed or injured, however we do capture the details of militants killed or injured in events alongside civilians.

Airwars assumes civilian status unless otherwise specified. Any ambiguity on civilian status is captured within our casualty and belligerent ranges (see below).

Where the exact time of an incident is unknown, deaths and injuries may be aggregated under one event until more information comes to light.

Each incident is geolocated to the highest possible degree of accuracy by trained geolocation teams. Airwars additionally cross-checks existing geolocation efforts from the wider open source community, and includes credit to such work where applicable. Airwars also encourages feedback from open source experts on each assessment, and incorporates updates and feedback where possible.

Where locations cannot be identified, incidents will be aggregated until more information is known.

Source identification

As an all source aggregate, Airwars treats all sources as relevant to an incident depending on their proximity to the harm event and the level of detail available about the event. Airwars includes all sources regardless of political or ideological affiliation. Inclusion of sources in the archive should not be taken as an endorsement of the source.

All our sources for harm events in Gaza are identified by our trained team of Arabic-language researchers; we primarily identify sources in the language local to the area where the harm has occurred. Additional English-language sources are added depending on their relevance to the harm event. As we also evolve our focus to harm events reported by Hebrew-language resources, we will also mobilise our Hebrew language teams and apply the same local-language led approach.

All information is assessed, written up and archived within each assessment in order to allow users to conduct further investigation.

As we also work to identify names of victims where known, we are reconciling names published by official channels, such as the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with our incidents.

Information categorisation

Attribution

Strike status (while we use the term ‘strike’ here, this should also be taken to mean any action involving the use of an explosive weapon, including, for example, a VBIED). All incidents are cross-checked with official statements from the Israel Defense Forces, militant wings of Hamas and other Palestinian military groups, and are included as follows:

Declared: The declared strike classification applies to incidents in which a belligerent has accepted responsibility explicitly for carrying out a strike on a specific location or specific target. This includes any statement made by an official from the Israeli government or from official channels or websites linked to Palestinian militant groups (Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas).

Likely: The likely strike classification applies to incidents in which at least two or more sources that reported on the incident explicitly attributed the strikes to a belligerent. In Gaza, Airwars’ Arabic-language researchers take typical local references and language used to describe Israel Defense Forces to identify local attribution, as the term ‘Israeli state’ is rarely explicitly referenced.

Contested: The contested strike classification includes incidents in which attribution of the strike to one belligerent was not agreed upon by all sources reporting on the incident, specifically when sources attribute a strike to both Palestinian forces (Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas) and Israeli forces. Incidents where no sources attribute a strike and the resulting civilian harm to a specific belligerent are graded as contested until more information comes to light.

Single source claims: only one source was found with an explicit allegation of harm from a belligerent.

Civilian harm status

Confirmed: A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for the killing or injuring of non-combatants or allied forces in a particular incident.

Fair: Where, in the view of Airwars, there is a reasonable level of public reporting of an alleged civilian casualty incident from two or more sources which includes attribution to a specific belligerent. In the context of reporting in the Gaza Strip, Airwars has found that explicit attribution to Israeli forces is rare, and instead is assumed by sources given the intensity of bombardment. Incidents are therefore assessed as ‘fair’ if at least one source mentions a belligerent in a credible harm incident. Incidents will be updated to reflect alternative attribution should that come to light at a later stage. In our ‘strike status’ category, as mentioned above, we will still refer to incidents with only one source explicitly attributing the harm to a belligerent as ‘single source claims’ to reflect the information environment.

Weak: These are presently claims seen by Airwars as ‘place-holder’ incidents until more information comes to light, given a lack of corroborating sources on either civilian harm or likely belligerent.

Contested: These occur where there are competing claims of responsibility within the sources: for example, sources may both attribute the harm to misfire from a Hamas rocket, or to an Israeli airstrike. There may also be inconclusive evidence supporting attribution to both belligerents, for example competing interpretations of munition fragments or blast impacts.

Discounted: This criteria is often applied to incidents that may have at first fallen into one of the above categories, but new information came to light since publication that suggests the original source material was incorrect. For example, more information may come to light about the identities of victims initially classified as civilians, that strongly suggests such individuals were combatants. Airwars researchers judge this information objectively and on a case by case basis.

Casualty ranges

As with all assessments, Airwars presents casualty figures recorded in an incident within a range.

All assessments include a minimum and maximum for both civilians and, if applicable, militants (‘belligerents’) injured and killed, taking the most recent figure from unique sources. For example, a source may initially say five civilians were killed. As more information on the incident becomes available, the same source may then say that the number rose to 10. In this case we would take the ‘10’ as this reflects the source’s updated understanding of events.

In the assessment summary, an explanation is offered as to the rationale behind the casualty range.

In cases where civilian status is contested, Airwars applies the minimum casualty range ‘0’ to both the civilian casualty field and to the belligerent field.

Information related to missing individuals, or civilians buried under the rubble following an attack is recorded in Airwars’ summary. The number of missing individuals would only be added to our death toll ranges if sources specified that those civilians have been killed. When new information comes to light regarding the fate of these victims, we would update the assessment accordingly, as well as our ranges.

Images and media referenced

As we are uploading images at pace for this project, all images have been automatically blurred to warn for graphic content given the high volume of graphic material. Less graphic images will be unblurred in due course.

Please also note that we include all images related to the sources identified, which can include images of militants.

All images are used under fair use as archival material. If you would like us to take down any images, please contact us at the info email listed below, using the subject line ‘Image use’.

Identification of victims

Airwars is also matching names of civilians identified through open source investigation with official names and IDs released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health where possible. As in other conflicts monitored, Airwars also records incidents of civilian harm where not all victims were named by sources, or where sources did not provide the victim’s full family name.

Impact

Airwars is tracking the reported impact of the use of explosive weapons on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See below for more details on what is being included in each category:

    Education – Reported damage or destruction to education infrastructure (school, university, etc.) and/or injured or killed education staff Health – Reported damage or destruction to healthcare infrastructure or vehicles (ambulance, hospital, clinic, etc.), and/or healthcare staff (doctors, nurses, rescuers, etc.), killed or injured Food – reported damage or destruction to food infrastructure (food markets, agricultural land, food factory, water infrastructure, etc.) or machinery (tractor, etc.), and/or injured or killed civilians working in the food or agricultural sector, and/or livestock killed or injured

Updating our assessments

If you have lost loved ones in an incident listed on the Airwars site and would like to get in touch – or would like to ask us to remove a photo or to add another – then please also contact us at the info email listed below.

Errors and corrections

We strive for accuracy and transparency of process in our reporting and presentation. Our casualty monitoring is continually evolving, representing our best current understanding of any alleged incidents.

If you have new information about a particular event, or details we haven’t included; if you find an error in our work; or if you have concerns about the way we are reporting our data, then do please reach us at the info email listed below with the subject line ‘Assessment update’.

Contact: info [at] airwars [dot] org

▲ Satellite imagery, screenshot from Google Earth, October 2023

Israel and Gaza 2023

Incident Code

ISPT0419

Incident date

October 21, 2023

Location

خربة العدس , Khirbat Al Adas, Rafah, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.286310, 34.271887 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between six and ten civilians were reported killed, including at least one member of the Palestinian Civil Defense and five children, when alleged Israeli missiles struck a Palestinian Civil Defense facility alongside the Dahir family home on October 21st, 2023. A number of other civilians, including Palestinian Civil Defense members, were also injured.

The incident took place near the Khirbet Al-Adas junction, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning.

Muhammad Fawzi Qtait also known as Abu Jazar (father of Jazar) was named as the Palestinian Civil Defense paramedic and firefighter killed in the strike. He was reported to be from Ma’an, Khan Yunis.

In a post from the Dhuhair family, it was reported that eight members of the family were killed including five children. The names were identified as: Ayman Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir, Iman Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir, Andalus Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir, Aws Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir and another child Elias Anas Muhammad Hamad Dhahir.

Family members named as mourning the victims – though not present during the strike – included grandmother Nabila, Elias’ parents, Anas Dhahir and Hanin Saleh Zorob, and Ayman, Iman, Andalus and Aws’ father Islam Muhammad Hamad Duhair. Aws’ kindergarten, Baraem Al Tofoula Model Kindergarten, made a post announcing his death and expressing their deep sorrow.

The Ministry of the Interior and the Directorate of the Civil Defense in Gaza reported the death of Muhammad Qtait and the injury of at least four other Civil Defense members, while source Adnan Ghanima reported in a tweet that six members were seriously injured. According to Masdar Al Akhbariya, 11 Civil Defense workers were injured and three were in serious condition. A post from the Rafah Municipality reported several deaths and injuries among Civil Defense members and civilians. The casualty range for those injured is therefore put at 4-11.

Where possible, Airwars has matched names with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of nearly 7000 victims’ names and ID numbers released on October 26th.

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

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 morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Ayman Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir أيمن إسلام محمد حمد ضهير
13 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 429423221
Iman Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir إيمان إسلام محمد حمد ضهير
12 years old female killed Matched to MoH ID 430509919
Andalus Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir أندلس إسلام محمد حمد ضهير
10 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 434448718
Aws Islam Muhammad Hamad Dhahir أوس إسلام محمد حمد ضهير
5 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 440694404
Elias Anas Muhammad Hamad Dhahir إلياس أنس محمد حمد ضهير
5 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 440596930

The victims were named as:

Muhammad Fawzi Qtait محمد فوزي قطيط
39 years old male killed Matched to MoH ID 800322224

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 10
  • (5–8 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–11
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (20) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: The journalist Adel Al Zaab
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

    Source: Rafah Municipality
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Municipality
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Municipality
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Municipality
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rafah Municipality
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Adnan Ghanima
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Adnan Ghanima
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahali Maan
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Omar Mahmoud Brhoum Zaraab
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Baraem Al Tofoula Model Kindergarten
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the area of Khirbat Al Adas ( خربة العدس ), within the Gaza strip (قِطَاعُ غَزَّةَ), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.2863108, 34.271887. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.  

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff0000","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1,"fill-opacity":0},"geometry":{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[34.2709169,31.2880177],[34.2707776,31.2884165],[34.2720007,31.288907],[34.2726551,31.2892371],[34.2720973,31.290319],[34.273374,31.29086],[34.2744791,31.2897048],[34.2746614,31.2885403],[34.274876,31.2878068],[34.274876,31.2874767],[34.2741142,31.2873759],[34.2743825,31.2865094],[34.2733203,31.285808],[34.2724728,31.2852991],[34.2730091,31.2847353],[34.2752408,31.2824798],[34.2743504,31.2813429],[34.2726981,31.281893],[34.272269,31.2824156],[34.2719042,31.2834792],[34.2700695,31.2827732],[34.269415,31.2829657],[34.2673122,31.2827823],[34.2663788,31.2843319],[34.2667436,31.2848454],[34.2679989,31.286019],[34.2668616,31.2868259],[34.2680633,31.2876602],[34.2691254,31.2872293],[34.2701768,31.2876968],[34.2698012,31.2883294],[34.2701553,31.2884944],[34.2706274,31.2878435],[34.2709169,31.2880177]]]}}]}

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
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 10
  • (5–8 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–11
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Published

October 16, 2023

published in partnership with

Share on

Forensic analysis and expert analysts suggest Israeli strike likely cause

This article was originally published in the Financial Times and written by the paper’s correspondents, as well as Airwars’ Joe Dyke and Nikolaj Houmann Mortensen. The full article can be read here.

Just a day after Israel ordered 1.1 million civilians to leave northern Gaza, two blasts on Friday destroyed multiple cars driving along one of the enclave’s main roads south.

Videos of the aftermath verified by the Financial Times show 12 bodies of men, women and children in Salah-ad-Din street, which Israel later designated a ‘safe route.’ One of the explosions rocks an ambulance as it attempts to leave the scene with some of the injured.

To assess the competing claims, the FT worked with Airwars, a conflict monitoring group, as well as munitions experts to shed light on the nature of the attack, its timing, aftermath and type of explosive used.

Read the full article here

Share on

published in partnership with