On the morning of Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 at least six members of the Sha’laq family were killed in an alleged Israeli bombing of their family home in a residential tower, in the Al Qasaib area of Jabalia refugee camp, North Gaza.

In a Facebook post written by Shaher Shalaq, a family member of the victims, the deceased were identified as his cousin 39-year-old professor, Muhammad Imad Shalaq (Abu Imad) and his wife 40-year-old Reem Ibrahim Al-Ata. Their two sons ten-year-old Imad Muhammad Imad Shalaq and five-year-old Asaad Muhammad Imad Shalaq, were also killed as were their two daughters 12-year-old Taqa Muhammad Imaq Shalaq and one-year-old baby Saba Muhammad Imaq Shalaq. A post from Hani Al-Attiyah, a cousin of Reem, reported that Professor Muhammad and Reem were killed along with “their five children” making it possible that a 5th child was killed in the strike.

According to Professor Muhammad’s personal Facebook page he was employed by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education – Palestine and studied at the Abu Obaida Al-Jarrah School.

The Basma Society for Culture and Arts expressed its condolences to the victims’ family. The society commemorated Muhammad Imaq Shalaq Abu Imad as “one of the most prominent cadres in one of our projects during this year and next year.”

An obituary to Muhammed Shalaq was published by the Al-Rafi’i Basic School for Boys, where he taught. He was described as heroic and the post reported that he and his family were killed as part of the “brutal bombing of Jabalia camp” that morning.

Imad Muhammad Imad Shalaq, one of Muhammad’s sons, was a fourth grade student at the Al-Rafi’i school, which posted a photo of him making a peace sign to their Facebook page. “The honourable student, Imad Muhammad Shalaq, from the fourth grade, also died,” read the school’s obituary.

Ahmad Almuqeed, a colleague and friend of Professor Muhammad wrote a Facebook post mourning the loss of his friend and his family, accompanied by a photo of the two of them, writing, “With all submission and surrender to the power of God Almighty, I mourn for you my friend and colleague at Al-Rafi’i School, the distinguished missionary teacher, Mr. Muhammad Imad Shalaq.”

Many family members announced their loss on social media. Mohammad H. Al-Tamimi, nephew of Reem Ibrahim Al-Ata, wrote that his aunt, her husband, and their children were martyred. Two of Reem Ibrahim Al-Ata’s cousins also mourned on Facebook, with one writing that Reem and her family were martyred “as a result of the bombing of their four-story house in Jabalia.”

Muhammad Imad Shalaq Abu Imad’s cousins and uncle also announced their loss. Abu Al-Sa’aied Al-Mutlak, a cousin, wrote that their last contact was on October 9 and posted a photo of their final correspondence on Facebook messenger. They had had two short calls before Muhammed Imad Shalaq sent his final messages: “Forgive me the line cut, the situation is getting worse, the bombs are getting worse” and then “Your prayers.”

Images taken by photographer Ahmed Al-Louh and shared by Facebook user, Salh.almshni, showed the destruction to the site of the alleged strike. Rubble, metal sheets and household objects can be seen piled high where the house once stood. This account also shared a graphic image of a five dead infants, some or all of whom may have been the Shalaq children.

A Facebook post from the Directorate of Education – North Gaza attributed the strike to the Israeli military. Airwars has matched the names of all of the civilians killed with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023, which explicitly mentions that names on the list are “victims of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip”. Therefore this incident has been graded as a likely strike.