During the morning of June 7, 2024, an alleged Israeli bombardment hit the Tabsh family house in the town of Abasan Al Kabira, in the eastern part of the Khan Younis Governorate, south of the Gaza Strip. The strike killed between 9 and 13 civilians, including four women, four children, and one man, and injured a number of others.
Awdah TV reported that a number of people were killed and injured in the attack. At 11:54 AM Safa PS reported six civilians deaths. At 12:53 PM the number of victims had risen to eight. According to @Nael’s Facebook post, nine civilians were announced to have died at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis.
Later, a Facebook post by Elia Maha mentioned that 13 members of the Tabsh family were killed. Awda Channel reported that the attack also resulted in injuries, but the exact number of the wounded remained unknown.
Social media testimonies by family members and friends helped Airwars identify the names of nine victims who were killed.
Among the victims of the deadly strike was 39-year-old engineer Hazem Youssef Tabsh (Abu Youssef). Mohammad Taiyseer’s post revealed that Hazem was a director of a charity called the Assalama Association for the Wounded, a home healthcare charity supporting people affected by health conditions and disabilities. Pictures shared of Hazem on social media showed him meeting with injured people at a hospital.
Hazem’s sister-in-law Fatima Ahmed Muhammad Tabsh was killed alongside her daughters, 20-year-old Aseel Mazen Youssef Tabsh and 19-year-old Israa Mazen Youssef Tabsh. A nine-year-old boy named Omar Abdullah Tabsh was killed along with his brother, eight-year-old Abdul Aziz Abdullah Tabsh.
The airstrike also reportedly killed 11-year-old Suleiman Muhammad Suleiman Abu Eid, 10-year-old Muhammad Nidal Mahmoud Abu Eid, and a 56-year-old woman named Magda Abbas Murshid Abu Daqqa.
Condolence messages and tributes, alongside several pictures honouring the victims, were shared by numerous relatives and acquaintances.
Ibrahim Tabash wrote a Facebook post dedicated to his nephews Omar Abdullah Tabsh and Abdul Aziz Abdullah Tabsh who he referred to as his “soul [and] pulse of his heart” and asked “May God have mercy on those members of the family who became martyrs.” Accompanying the tribute, Ibrahim shared a picture of the young brothers with their arms around each other.
A similar message was shared by Rashad Abu Misbah who grieved the loss of his two cousins, Omar Abdullah Tabsh and Abdulaziz Abdullah Tabsh, and other members of the Tabsh family.
Umm Yousef Tabash wrote a Facebook post in memory of her brother Hazem Youssef Tabsh. She wrote that losing him was the hardest thing she had ever experienced: “The hours are ticking on the tragedy of your loss and the tragedy of your departure forever. The shock is still inside me and the news of your death is still stuck in my ears.”
The post from Nana Mohammad expressed her grief over hearing the news of Hazem Youssef Tabsh’s death: “God bears witness that we have known nothing but the best about you.”
Facebook user @Samerawdallah2021 also grieved the loss of their friend Hazem. Samer described Hazem as someone who had “a good, pure and pious heart…a sincere brother who has great imprints in serving people, especially our brave wounded, without getting tired or bored.” “Losing you will leave a deep wound in us…” wrote Samer.
Abasan.al kabira wrote a Facebook tribute to Muhammad Nidal Abu Eid, attaching an image of the young boy. Muhammad’s uncle, Hazem Mahomoud Abu Eid, wrote: “Our only consolation is that they are alive with their Lord, may God have mercy on my nephew, Muhammad Nidal Abu Eid, and all the family members.”
Awda Channel posted visual evidence documenting the first moments after the bombing struck the Tabsh family house. The video showed men rushing to the site of the strike amidst screams and chaos, some of whom returned carrying injured or killed children.
A Facebook user @al-kabira abasan shared footage of rescue attempts, and Abssan.alkabira posted an image that showed the destruction of an entire two-story house.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
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 15, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the fifth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 30, 2024.