At least 12 civilians were killed in an alleged Israeli bombing of the Al-Yaqoub family home in the Jouret Al-Aqqad area of Khan Younis at dawn on October 26, 2023. A thirteenth person was killed and has been identified as a militant.
Eleven of those killed in the incident were members of the Afana family, identified as the following: Afana Ahmed Afana, 56, his wife Sumaya Fakhri Afana, 56, her mother 83-year-old Hoda Hassan Hussein Afana (Umm Al-Saeed), their daughters Anwar Afana Afana, 19, and Abeer Afana Afana, 29, their son Mohammad Afana Afana, 32, husband of Abeer Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh (a militant), 31, son of Abeer and Muhammad Basem Muhammad Al-Kafarneh, wife of Mohammad Afana Amani Jad Al-Kafarneh, and sons of Amani and Mohammad Abdul Alrahman Mohammad Afana and Hamed Mohammad Afana, 5.
Their deaths were announced by family member Ahmad Afana, who wrote that they were killed in an Israeli bombing on the Al-Yaqoub family home. Ten bodies were initially recovered, according to Ahmad, who added that civil defence teams were working to recover the rest from under the rubble. According to a later Facebook post, thirteen members of the family were killed in this incident.
A Facebook post from Ameen Abed, a neighbor of the Afana family, added that in addition to the members of the Afana family who were killed, “friend and neighbor” 41-year-old Ahmad Al-Saftawi (Abu Jabr) and “neighbor” Yasser Ahmad were also killed in the same strike at dawn. According to Ameen Abed, the Afana family had been displaced prior to their death.
The Afana Family group on Facebook also announced the names of eleven civilians killed, offering deepest condolences to “the entire Afana family in the homeland and abroad.” According to the post, two children of Abeer and Muhammad survived the strike – the post does not specify if their children were injured.
Tawfiq Al-Tanani, a grandson of Hoda “Umm Al-Saeed”, announced his grandmother’s death and shared a photo of Hoda sitting on the ground with a smile on her face as she looked into the camera, dressed in a purple headscarf and purple dress. Tawfiq also wrote that he lost his aunt, Sumaya, her husband, and their children. “You were my hope, your embrace was warm, and my second home,” he wrote. Umm Al-Saeed was also remembered as a “cheerful and kind lady” by Ameen Abed, a neighbour who called her a “childhood companion” and noted that she was a friend of his grandmother.
Yousef Afana, a sibling of Anwar, Abeer, and Mohammad, wrote that he lost his entire family in the strike, including his father, mother, grandmother, dear sisters, and his brother, whom he called his “life and support”. Yousef wrote: “I do not know how I will live without you, my beloved. Goodbye.”
A photo of a little boy holding a graduation cap, dressed in a bowtie and gown was shared by Hanaa Mahmud on Facebook. The little boy was identified as Basem, son of Abeer and Muhammad. According to the post, Basem’s body was buried without a head as his head was thought to still be under the rubble.
Family members, including several cousins of Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh shared photos of him and mourned his death, as well as that of his wife and children. In one photo, he is seen sitting on a couch and hugging a young boy close to his chest. In another, he wears a red polo shirt and a Nike baseball cap, staring into the camera.
When Airwars first published this incident, no open sources were found to suggest that Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh was a militant. As such, Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh 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 September 19, 2026, Telegram accounts affiliated with Hamas' armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published tributes to Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Muhammad Basem Al-Kafarneh's status from civilian to militant and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from 13 to 12.
Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on July 24, 2024.