On October 12th, 2023, at least six civilians were killed, and others injured, in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Yassin family home near to the Al-Furqan school, south of the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood in the north of the Gaza Strip. Several different news sources additionally stated that civilians had been wounded as a result of the strike, however an exact number was not specified. Two other individuals were killed and have been identified as militants.
Multiple local sources provided the names of members of the Yassin family who were killed: Umm Ahmed Yassin, Ayman Hassan Ali Yassin (47 years old, a militant), Ahmed Ayman Hassan Yassin (22 years old), Mahmoud Ayman Hassan Yassin (22 years old, a militant), Moamen Ayman Hassan Yassin (17 years old), Imad Ayman Hassan Yassin (16 years old), Hassan Ayman Hassan Yassin (13 years old), Baraa Ayman Hassan Yassin (nine years old).
When Airwars first published this incident on January 1, 2024, no open sources were found to suggest that Ayman Hassan Yassin was a militant. As such, he was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status‘. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.
However, on February 24, 2026, the official page representing Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), published a list and photos of PIJ commanders who had been killed over the course of the preceding months. Ayman was named as a “Commander of the Al-Zaytoun Battalion – Gaza Brigade” and a photo of him in uniform was attached. As such, his status has been updated to militant.
On July 29, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Saraya al-Quds published a similar list, identifying Mahmoud Ayman Yassin as a militant. As such, his status was also updated from civilian to militant.
On the 12th of October, several media outlets reported the airstrike. Shebab Agency posted a statement on X/Twitter that “a house belonging to the Yassin family was targeted near Al-Furqan School, south of Al- Zeytoun neighbourhood and there were martyrs and wounded”.
The Palestinian Information Center released an almost identical statement online, as did the Quds Feed Network, and Wattan News on the outlet’s website. However, Alkofiya News more specifically reported that “aircraft” had struck the Yassin family home, whilst a correspondent for Al-Ghad TV stated that “a number of children” had been killed as a result of the bombing.
Initially, the number of civilians killed in the airstrike was unclear with ‘Palestine Civil Defence’ stating via Facebook, at midday on the 12th October, that “rescue crews went to a house for the Yassin family that had been subjected to Israeli bombing”. Two hours later, the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood also posted a statement on its community Facebook page that “at least four” of those killed “were recovered in the targeting of a house for the Yassin family”.
During the early evening of the 12th of October, two relatives of the Yassin family, Abu Hassan Yassin and Mohamad Yassin, posted lists containing the eight names of their family members who were reported to have been killed in the strike on Facebook. Mohamad Yassin, in addition to the names of eight members of the Yassin family, posted family photos of those killed.
One Facebook user, Omar Effendi, on the 12th of October, posted a short video showing a body being carried from the rubble of the building which had been destroyed as a result of the strike.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
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.