At least 11 civilians were killed and 12 others were reportedly injured after an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the al-Zari’i residence on Abu Arif Street Street in Deir Al-Balah on October 17th, 2023. Most of the deceased were members of the al-Zari’i family. A 12th person was killed and has been recorded with a contested civilian status.
@ShehabAgency reported that seven people had been killed and 12 injured, and published on Twitter/X images of rescue teams removing people from the rubble, as well as scenes of funeral prayers for multiple victims. A Facebook post by Alzreae (al-Zari’i) said the strike occurred at night, and identified 11 members of the al-Zari’i as having been killed in the attack.
A Facebook post from Mohammed al-Zari’i identified the names of 10 members of the family who were killed: Um Ibrahim al-Zari’i, the grandmother of the family, was killed along with her son, 27 year old Ibrahim Saber al-Zari’i (contested) and her three daughters, 29 year old Doaa Saber al-Zari’i, 30 year old Safaa Saber al-Zari’i and Walaa Saber al-Zari’i. Walaa’s five children were also killed. Her two sons, Abdul Rahman Samir Saad, two months old, and Abdullah Samir Saad, 8 years old, both died, as did her three daughters: Rateel Samir Saad (10), Tala Samir Saad (8) and Yara Samir Saad (6).
A post from Samer mourned their brother’s wife Walaa and their children, along with providing images of the children who were killed.
Muhammad Abu Samra provided a video of Ibrahim Saber Al-Zari’i receiving his master’s degree in Hadith sciences and interpretation from the Islamic University of Gaza.
When Airwars first published this incident, no open sources were found to suggest that Ibrahim Saber Al-Zari’i was a militant. As such, Ibrahim Saber Al-Zari’i 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.
On February 26, 2026, a Telegram account which has frequently shared commemorative posters to individuals it refers to as 'fighters' published a tribute to Ibrahim Saber Al-Zari’i, identifying him as such.
However, Ibrahim was remembered in posts in the days and even years following the strike, none of which suggested that Ibrahim had been involved in militant activity. Additionally, unlike other Telegram accounts posting tributes to individuals who were militants, this account and accompanying post did not show Ibrahim in military clothes, a militant position, or holding a weapon. Instead, the image shared was one shared by family in the days after his death. Additionally, other accounts frequently post video compilations showing the individual involved in militant activity and pledging allegiance to a group. No such video was shared.
In light of the post that was shared - a photo originally shared by a family member, superimposed on a poster naming him as a 'mujahed' (fighter) - Airwars has changed Ibrahim Saber Al-Zari’i's status from civilian to contested and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 12 to 11. This will be updated should additional information become available.
Two others who were killed appear to have been displaced, and were sheltering in the al-Zari’i home. These were a 58 year old woman named Fathia Ibrahim Muhammad al-Awawda and a 59 year old woman named Wafa Ibrahim Farhan al-Awawda, who appear to be relatives.
Graphic images posted by Zeyneb show what is described as the body parts of the children killed, which “were scattered on the roofs of neighbors’ houses”. Other sources mentioned that there were still people under the rubble at the time of reporting.
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 forces.