On 15th October, 2023, Dr. Omar Saleh Farwana (Farwaneh), his wife Umm Saleh Farwana, his children and grandchildren were all reported killed as a result of an alleged Israeli airstrike.
They were in their home in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City. The attack happened in early morning hours when members of the large Farwana’s family were staying in his house after the morning prayer. Most sources reported 15 family members killed, including two doctors, eight children* and four women. Only eleven-year old Lynn Saleh Maher Farwana survived the attack.
Dr. Omar Saleh Farwana was a former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University. He was described as a well-known and respected doctor who “performed free surgeries on many young people” according to one local source, which also said that the doctor was “one of the charitable men in Gaza”. The same source added that the doctor used to organise “hundreds of science discussions” at his place, and covered their expenses with his own money. Adnan Skaik wrote in his Facebook post that the doctor “was kind-hearted, easy-going, loving towards his students and loved meeting with them”. He also said “In the last meeting I had with him, he asked to prepare a meeting with all the college students to discuss a book he had prepared, but the date of his martyrdom was closer.” Farwana Family account on Facebook indicated that Dr. Omar Saleh Farwana was “one of the deportees of Marj al-Zuhur”.
The doctor’s son Abdulaziz Farwana with his wife Sondos Manar Farwana and his daughters 3 year-old Maryam Abdel Aziz Farwana and 17 day-old infant Ayat Abdel Aziz Farwana were also killed. Nazmila Alqawasmi wrote in a Facebook post that “Ayat was certainly sleeping in the arms of her mother”.
Among the victims was also the doctor’s daughter Dr. Aya Farwana. Aya was known for her free treatment of poor patients. Yasmin Rabah wrote a touching testimony about her life-time friend on Facebook: “Aya, my friend for 27 years, ever since I sat next to her on my first day in primary school, my neighbor, my professional colleague, and my long-distance companion.. She carried Palestine in her heart ever since she knew her. I remember how her house was bombed for the first time during a war, and I spoke to her to console her, and she began to console me and comfort my heart. Then she rebuilt it from scratch, and she did not care.” She also added “She was strong, proud, kind, intelligent, creative, loyal, pious and loving”.
Dr. Aya’s daughters Basmala Farwana and Ola Farwana, and her son Imad Farwana also lost their lives in this attack.
The airstrike also killed another of the doctor’s daughters, a lawyer (or engineer, according to other sources), Professor Israa Farwana, and her children – two daughters Rahaf Qanita and Rima Qanita, and a son Obaida Qanita.
While some sources mention only 14 victims, the Facebook post by Mohammed Hafez El Jamal claims that another of the doctor’s granddaughters, Raghad Saleh Farwana, also lost her life.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.
*Though Airwars was unable to find the exact age of some of the children mentioned, we have assumed that all references to the family’s children are of those under the age of 18, unless specified otherwise by the sources, given related images of young children.