During the afternoon of October 26th 2024, Israeli aircraft allegedly bombed a house belonging to the al-Shaer family. The bombing resulted in the deaths of at least 10 individuals, with others sustaining injuries. Two other individuals were killed and have been identified as militants.
Airwars researchers have identified the names of 12 of those killed in the incident, among them 35-year-old Adel Mohammed Hamid, 20-year-old Ahmed Tawfiq Hassan, and 21-year-old Abdullah Saleh Abu Jazar. In Facebook memorial posts, shared by family and friends, they were described as beloved friends, neighbours, and relatives.
47-year-old Basil Abdel Rahman Abdel Hafez (a militant) was reported as among those killed. A post by Manal Khamis Jarad shared condolences with the family as they mourned. Manal said that “the wounds of loss grow and expand” and that her “heart hurts” over the loss of her family members.
When Airwars first published this incident on August 1, 2024, no open sources were found to suggest that Basil Abdel Rahman Abdel Hafez or 27-year-old professor Yahya Ibrahim Nasr were militants. As such, both men were recorded as civilians. 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 20, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)’s armed wing, published a tribute to Basil Abdel Rahman Abdel Hafez, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Basil Abdel Rahman Abdel Hafez’s status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 12 to 11.
On July 27, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas' armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Yahya Ibrahim Nasr, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated his status from civilian to militant, and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 11 to 10.
Following the incident, the al-Shaer Family Facebook page shared tribute posts grieving the loss of 12-year-old Mahmoud Arif al-Shaer, as well as 62-year-old Masouda Ibrahim al-Shaer and her two sons, 21-year-old Ahmed Zakaria Salman al-Shaer and 25-year-old Ibrahim Zakaria Salman al-Shaer. A further post the following day shared a video of the funeral of members of the family. The caption expressed the immense pain felt by the remaining family: “Words no longer express my pain, nor do tears ease my grief. I fall into complete darkness with my being. I don’t know what comes after this, whether new loss or relief.”
An obituary for 51-year-old Dr. Ihab Muhammad Saleh Abu Hamda, posted by @J.darali mourned the loss of a generous son, brother, and husband. In the obituary, condolences were extended to Ihab’s sister, Professor Taghreed Abu Hamda, his wife, and his family as they dealt with “feelings of sympathy and pain on the martyrdom of their brother, their honourable and well-remembered son.” The obituary goes on to ask, “May God have mercy on him with his wide mercy, forgive him, pardon him, and grant him and all the martyrs of Gaza, the martyrs of Palestine, and the martyrs of the nation the highest paradise in Paradise.”
In a Facebook post by Rafah.KhaldAlhasan, 41-year-old Muhammad Mazouk Qeshta was named as a further death from the strike. In the post, it was noted that Muhammad was “a member of the former area leadership,” and that he had been killed in his car when he was passing by the al-Shaer family home as it was being bombed. Regarding Fatah membership, as there has been no large-scale organised Fatah military presence in Gaza since 2007, and there is no additional evidence of militant status, Muhammad has been categorized as a civilian. Airwars will update this categorisation should further information come to light.
A day after the incident, another casualty was identified as 22-year-old Muhammad Ihab Tawfiq Saad, who was found under the rubble of the al-Shaer family home.
In noting all those who were killed, @Jales_tinian2 posted on Twitter/X that the al-Shaer family “bid farewell to 11 of its members” after the bombing of their family home. It was noted that this was “not the first tragedy for this family”.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Sanaa (@alasbahi_dr) wished condolences to their colleague Dr. Muhammad al-Shaer on “the death of 11 and the injury of others from the al-Shaer family in Gaza, including his mother and brothers, in a brutal bombing”, making it likely that Dr. Muhammad was the son of Masouda al-Shaer.
Images shared on social media documented the pain of surviving family members. An elderly man was pictured weeping as he is held up by relatives; another photograph shows mourners crouched over body bags. A further image shows a man looking at the uncovered face of a deceased friend or relative, covered in dust and blood, partially wrapped in a body bag.
Sources indicate that the four-story family home was struck by “several missiles” without any prior warning. The residence was near Al-Istiqama Mosque and Awad Tower in the Al-Jeneina neighbourhood in Rafa, south of the Gaza Strip.
Safa News and Wafa News reported that “others” were injured in the strike but did not specify how many. Those injured were reportedly taken to Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in the city.
All names have been reconciled with published Palestinian Ministry of Health lists. With thanks to journalist Alexandre Horn from CheckNews for identifying relevant sources, and Data Tech for Palestine for centralising the datasets.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.