On Thursday, 19 October 2023, at least seven civilians, including at least four children, were killed and four others were injured in an alleged Israeli strike on the Awaja family’s home near the Al-Zahra Clinic in the Al-Geneina neighbourhood, east of Rafah, Gaza strip. Two other people were killed and have been identified as militants.
Initial reportage from Safa news, Al Aqsa voice, and sources on social media stated there were seven civilians killed in the strike, with Safa and other sources on social and local media including Palestine Today later updating the death toll to eight. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya shared videos of the dead and wounded being carried by civilians and rescue workers to ambulances and the Abu Youssef Al-Najjar hospital, with Al Arabiya also sharing images of the bombed home, its facade still standing amongst the rubble. Various sources online shared the names of the civilians killed in the strike – Hossam Jihad Sheikh Khalil (15), Hosni Jihad Sheikh Khalil (19, a militant affiliated with PIJ), Hussein Jihad Sheikh Khalil (24, a militant affiliated with Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade), Jihad Muhammad Ghanem, Mahmoud Muhammad Abu Suleiman (16), Taghreed Khalil Awaja (46), Jihad Abdul Latif Awaja, Khaled Tamer Muhammad Awaja (15), and Atef Tamer Muhammad Awaja (15).
Hane posted a video of the bodies of the eight victims in shrouds laid on the ground, while others came to pay their respects. Twitter/X user @ehabomar21 stated that “initially, 4 injuries were reported” as a result of the bombing, while another source on social media shared an image of a young child, with the caption “The child, Joan Sheikh Khalil, is one of the survivors” of the bombing – it is unclear from the image whether she was injured or not. Another user shared the image of a young man, with a caption “May God have mercy on you” – it is unclear which of the victims this young man is. Other sources also mourned the loss on social media, with Asma Hasan sharing a tribute saying “The affliction is great and great… but God’s mercy is greater and more exalted/How difficult is separation.”
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 strike to Israeli forces.