On 22nd October 2023, at least 19 civilians were killed, all of them women and children, and at least 7 others were injured after the home of the Jaber and Abu Al-Qumsan families in the Al-Alami area in the northern Gaza Strip was allegedly struck by an Israeli airstrike. A 20th person was killed and has been identified as a militant.
Mahmoud Hegazy posted the names of 19 members of his family who were reportedly killed in the airstrike. He explained that included in those killed was his dear grandmother Amina Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan (Umm Fayek), and he included in the post a picture of his grandmother Amina smiling at the camera wearing a patterned headscarf. In a separate post by Muhammad Ibn Sheikh Ismail she is referred to as the mother of martyrs and a post by Maher Al Hijazi explains that three of her sons were killed previously: “Ismail Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan, “who died on 12/30/2001,” and the martyr, the leader: Youssef Ahmed Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan, who died on: 11/3/2002” and the martyr leader: Faiq Ahmad Ahmad Abu Al-Qumsan, “who died on: 11/23/2006” [and his son, the martyr Fayez, “who rose on: 12/27/2008].”
Mahmoud Hegazy goes on to add that his uncle’s wife Iman Darwish Abu Al-Qumsan (50) and her four children (Mahmoud’s four cousins) Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan (a militant) and his sisters Alaa Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan (34), Nour Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan (27) and Walaa Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan (28) were killed. Two other daughters (based on their names), Amina Youssef Ahmad Abu Al-Qumsan and Fatima Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan, were injured in the strike.
When Airwars first published this incident on April 1, 2024, no open sources were found to suggest that Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan was a militant. As such, Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan 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 July 11, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 20 to 19.
Mahmoud’s cousin Ahmed’s wife, Aya Adnan Abu Al-Qumsan (30) and their four children Youssef Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan (9), Obada Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan (6), Iman Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan and Yasmine Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan (11) were also killed in the alleged airstrike and their daughter Hor Ahmed Youssef Abu Al-Qumsan was injured.
Mahmoud also reported that his uncle’s daughter Samoud Fayek Abu Al-Qumsan (19) and his cousin’s daughter Imad Ismail Abu Al-Qumsan were also killed in the alleged strike.
He added that another cousin, the son of Walaa Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan, named Ezz El-Din Abdel Ezz El-Din Hegazy (Abu Al-Qumsan) was also killed along with the children of Amina Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan (who was injured) Osama Muhammad Osama Muhanna (8) and Youssef Muhammad Osama Muhanna. Amina Youssef’s husband (and the father of Osama and Youssef) named Muhammad Osama Muhanna was injured along with Amina and Muhammad’s daughter Reem Muhammad Osama Muhanna.
Finally he added the children of Alaa Youssef Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan – Fayeq Thaer Abu Al-Qumsan, Fayez Thaer Abu Al-Qumsan (8) and Youssef Thaer Abu Al-Qumsan (6) – were also killed in the alleged airstrike. Based on their names, likely their sibling Selin Thaer Fayeq Abu Al-Qumsan was reported as injured.
A post from Muhammad Ibn Sheikh Ismail also identified Ghazal Imad Ismail Abu Al-Qumsan (3), “granddaughter of the martyr Sheikh and Commander Ismail Abu Al-Qumsan,” as among those killed. Sources suggested Ismail Abu Al-Qumsan was killed by Israeli forces during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s. It appeared he had been a militant, though that was not confirmed.
Shehab Agency tweeted a video of a young girl in a medical facility named Sirine Abu Al-Qumsam who has been injured in the reported strike and is describing to the camera what happened, clearly in distress with injuries to her face.
Initial reports stated that 5 people were killed and 15 injured in the airstrike, and that they were taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital. The Ministry of Interior then reported that 11 people has been killed and a post from Enjoy English put the number of killed at 16.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health posted that the little girl Hor Ahmed Abu Al-Qumsan was in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex for treatment of her injuries, and the picture of her shows injury to the side of her face and she is dressed in bright clothes. The post added that she had miraculously survived the alleged airstrike, and that she was the only survivor in her family.
The Palestine Civil Defense posted images of the Civil Defense rescuing the injured from the rubble of the two houses reportedly hit in this airstrike, and one image shed that they are using a digger to get under the rubble because of the scale of damage. The civil defense workers are pictured looking for people in the dark space under the collapsed building. The Palestinian Ministry of Interior added that medical services crew were at the scene, accompanied with pictures, and it is clear from one that a building has been reduced to rubble illustrating that the whole walls have collapsed.
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 a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.