At least 16 people were killed, including two children and six women, and nine others were injured, when the al-Masry family home, in the Musabah area of Rafah, was allegedly bombed by Israeli forces at dawn on Sunday, October 15th 2023. The victims came from multiple generations of multiple families.
According to Safa Palestinian Press Agency, by 8:26 am nine injuries were reported and searches were underway for the missing victims still trapped under the rubble.
The victims who were killed were identified by their families as the patriarch, 74-year-old Hajj Jamil Hafez al-Masry, and his wife 61-year-old Hajja Maysoon Ali al-Masry, their daughter 39-year-old Amani Jamil al-Masry and their son 44-year-old Muhammad Jamil al-Masry.
45-year-old Professor Sherine Jamil al-Masry, a daughter of Jamil and Maysoon, and her three sons, 19-year-old Muhammad Jihad al-Akhras, a medical student, Yassin Jihad al-Akhras, a 21-year-old engineering student and five-year-old Anas Jihad al-Akhras were among those killed. Two sources, Faraj Alyan and Akram Almassri, claimed that four of Sherine’s children were killed as well as her husband and that several family members were also injured. Aaed Almasri posted a tribute to the family on Facebook describing Maysoon and Sherine as pure and virtuous and Sherine’s children as polite.
Five neighbours of the al-Masry family were reportedly killed. The victims – all from the extended Hamouda family, included 65-year-old Bassam Ataya Hamouda (Abu Moataz), who was an engineer and his wife, 51-year-old Nariman Khaled Abdel Azim Hamouda (Umm Moataz). Another couple, 63-year-old Ramzi Ataya Hamouda (Abu Muhammad), who was also an engineer, and his wife 55-year-old Etidal Mahmoud Hamouda (Umm Muhammed) were killed alongside their daughter 25-year-old Rawan Ramzi Hamouda. Nayef Khaled Hamouda was also reported as killed by one source. Mohammed Magdey Hamouda posted a tribute to his family on Facebook, describing his uncles Bassam and Ramzi as dear and beloved and his aunts Nariman and Etidal as virtuous and compassionate.
Another neighboring family was also reportedly harmed as 39 year old Aed Abu Mohsen was seriously injured and his 14-year-old son, Muhammad Ayed Abu Mohsen was killed. As Aed Abu Mohsen’s name was found among the Ministry of Health list of fatalities, it seems that he died of his injuries.
One source, Abood Abu Howidy, reported that the house contained 30 members of the Al-Masry and Al-Akhras families.
A funeral procession was planned to move the bodies, at 10:30 am on October 16th from Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah to al-Namsawi Stadium next to the local cemetery.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces. Multiple sources claim the incident took place without prior warning.
All but one of the 16 names identified have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.
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The incident occured around dawn.
