Shortly before 12:10 PM on Thursday, October 19th 2023, at least 14 civilians, including five women and four children, were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Al-Hassi (Al-Hussi) family home belonging to the pharmacist Samir Al-Hassi in Jabalia Al-Nazla in the northern Gaza Strip. A large number of injuries were also reported across multiple Facebook posts from family and friends, although an exact number was not given.
The house of Samir Al-Hassi was completely destroyed as evidenced by a video shared by Twitter/X account @almnaranews where a huge crater with a pile of rubble is visible where Samir’s house used to be.
The Palestinian news agency Safa was among the first to report the incident at 12:10 PM, referring to official reporting from the Gaza Ministry of the Interior.
A post on X/Twitter by @al_ghandri also reported the attack on the Al-Hassi home, along with a high number of dead and wounded. Attached to this post were the graphic photos of at least seven deceased children, likely killed in the strike.
Obituaries and tributes by family and friends, posted on social media sites, such as the Nasr Family Facebook page, helped to identify the names of 14 victims who had been killed in the incident.
The wife of Samir Al-Hassi, Reem Mesbah Al-Hassi died in the attack on their home alongside their three sons: 25-year-old Fadi Samir Ramadan Al-Hassi, 23-year-old Jamal Samir Ramadan Al-Hassi, and Muhammad Samir Ramadan Al-Hassi (age unknown), and their 18-year-old daughter Malak Samir Ramadan Al-Hassi. Multiple Facebook posts reported that the eldest son, Fadi Samir Al-Hassi was a pharmacist like his father.
Hussam Abu Warda mourned the death of Fadi, writing “My beloved Fadi Al-Hassi, may God have mercy on you” and sharing an image of Fadi and himself smiling side by side.
A family member named Abu Shaban wrote in a post on Facebook that the children of his uncle Hani, 25-year-old Muhammad Hani Ramadan Al-Hassi, his 10-year-old brother, Hadi Hani Ramadan Al-Hassi, and their 18-year-old sister Bara’a Hani Ramadan Al-Hassi were killed in the alleged airstrike.
Bara’a was described by a friend, Fatma N Rehan, in a post on Facebook as having “good character and a high status in my heart”.
Abu Shaban also listed the children of his uncle Dr. Khaled Al-Hassi (Abu Rami): 26-year-old son Muhannad Khaled Ramadan Al-Hassi and 18-year-old daughter Weam Khaled Ramadan Al-Hassi among those reported to have died, while Dr. Khaled Al-Hassi, Muhannad’s father was reportedly injured in the attack. An eight-year-old boy, a relative of Dr Khaled, named Khaled Rami Khaled Al-Hassi was also killed in the incident.
Haytham Hilles wrote a condolence message for Dr. Al-Hassi on Facebook, mourning the death of his children. Another Facebook user called Abu Omar shared an image of Muhannad from before the incident and wrote that Muhannad was engaged to his sister.
Finally Abu Shaban’s uncle Abd Abu Ihab’s daughter, 18-year-old Tasneem Abdul Karim Ramadan Al-Hassi as well as one-year-old boy Joud Alaa Muhammad Al-Hassi, and a child referred to as the daughter of Ahmed Al-Dada were also reportedly killed in the alleged Israeli airstrike, bringing the total of named deaths as a result of the attack to 14.
Abu Awad also wrote an obituary to the deceased members of the Al-Hassi family, sharing some of their images on Facebook.
Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on October 26th, 2023.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.