At approximately 9:20 AM on October 23, 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the Abu Dan residence in Deir al-Balah, reportedly killing at least 23 individuals. Those killed spanned three generations.
59-year-old Jamlat Hassan Abu Dan (Umm Muhammad) was killed with her sons Muhammad Tayseer al-Abd Abu Dan, Mustafa Tayseer al-Abd Abu Dan, and Mahmoud Tayseer al-Abd Abu Dan. Jamlat’s daughter, who remains unnamed, was also reported killed, as was the daughter’s husband and children.
Mustafa’s wife, Mona, was also killed, as were their children, Tayseer Mahmoud Tayseer Abudan, 12-year-old Hala Mahmoud Tayseer Abudan, and Youssef Mahmoud Tayseer Abudan.
Mahmoud’s wife Maria al-Kurd Abudan was also reported killed, along with “all their children”.
Another family unit killed in the strike included 41-year-old Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan, his 35-year-old wife Mona Tayseer al-Abd Abudan – who was in her final month of pregnancy – their two sons, 15-year-old Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan and 13-year-old Muhammad Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan, and their two daughters, eight-year-old Rital Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan and four-year-old Siwar Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan.
Finally, Momen Momen Tayseer Abudan (either nine or 10 years old) was also reported killed in the incident.
Friends and family turned to social media to announce the loss of their loved ones, who were laid to rest in a mass grave. Alongside photographs and religious messages, they recognized the passing of the deceased, with particular attention given to the children. Facebook user Mai Tayseer shared images of eight children killed in the incident, condemning the inequity of their deaths: “What is the fault of the children?”
Khalil Abudan also shared photos of the deceased on Facebook, including a photograph of Rital, dressed in a bird-emblazoned pink shirt, and an infant, possibly a young Siwar, clad in yellow. Ahmed Abudan was also pictured with two young boys, likely his sons Mahmoud and Muhammad, at a football tournament.
Facebook user “Midwife showq abo hamda” remembered Jamlat as a “second mother” who was “precious” to her. She grieved Ahmed Abudan as a “dear brother” and remembered him as “generous”. Their deaths, Showq emphasised, were “a great shock”.
Many memorials discussed Ahmad Abu Dan, who was buried with his finger raised. A finger pointing skyward can be used while reciting the Shahada, Islam’s first pillar, and relatives were keen to emphasise this. Bassam Sherif shared a reflective post on Facebook about his cousin’s death, emphasising that while “raising his index finger, he breathed out his last breath, and his soul left his pure body.” In the burial photographs, his pointed finger can be seen through a deliberate hole in his body bag.
A video shared by Samar Abu Elouf showed a woman mourning over multiple shrouded bodies; she can be seen uncovering the faces of the deceased. Ahmed Abudan’s pointed finger, left uncovered when his body was wrapped, is visible.
Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023 the MoH has released six lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the third ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on April 1st, 2024. Two inconsistencies were found. One related to Siwar Ahmed Mahmoud Abudan. Though the MoH list categorises her as a boy, all sources referred to Siwar as a young girl. Two possible matches were found for Momen Momen Tayseer Abudan. While both matches presented the same name and similar ages, one (432499798, with an age of 10) was matched to the third list, while the second name (432499796, with an age of nine) was matched to the fifth. Because of this, it is likely that Momen can be more probably linked to the 432499798 match, but it is not definitive.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
Edit 13/02/2025: This incident has been edited to reflect further research. Additional family members have been added to the list of civilians killed, and familial connections corrected to reflect the updated sources.