At least 12 civilians were killed and dozens of others were injured in a bombardment on the UNRWA-affiliated Abu Hussein Girls School in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday 2 November 2023. While many sources attributed the strike to an Israeli military airstrike, one source claimed the devastation occurred due to an “errant M-75 heavy rocket” fired by Hamas’ al-Qassam brigade. As such the incident has been categorised as contested per Airwars’ methodology.
UNRWA provided the estimate of those killed at 20, while the Shehab Agency reported 27 civilians killed and later recovered from the rubble and @RamAbdu reported 12 killed and “many more” injured. @clashreport described the numbered of injured as “dozens”.
Despite the large casualty figures, information regarding those killed was relatively sparse. Two of the deceased were identified by friends and family. Muhammad Shaaban al-Dabbagh was initially injured in the head but died the next day of his injuries. A photo of him was shared which illustrates a young man, wearing a grey suit, smiling into the camera. He was described as a “simple, calm, elegant, polite and beautiful young man” with “many dreams and ambitions.” He recently was engaged and excited to be married. The second person killed was named as 24-year-old Omar Hassan al-Dabbagh and was described as a “brother, friend” and “kind-hearted neighbor.” He was reportedly killed while filling water and helping the displaced people in the school. A photo of him shared shows a red-haired young man in a Nike t-shirt.
Five people were identified among the injured. The first was Muhammad Shaaban Al-Dabbagh’s brother, Ahmed Shaaban al-Dabbagh. The second person injured was Muhammad and Ahmed’s cousins Abdallah Hamza al-Dabbagh and his brother Khalil Hamza al-Dabbagh. Both sustained serious head injuries. The two others who were identified as injured were Adballah and Khalil’s uncle Abu Ali Matar and their neighbor Attia al-Najjar. Abdallh Hamza Al Dabbagh, one of the men injured, wrote on Facebook that memories of the strike will “continue to live with me until my death.”
The UNRWA affiliated school was said to be sheltering displaced people. Images shared post-strike illuminated the damage wrought. Photographs from the incident show people lying, injured or dead, on the floor amidst red trails of blood and school desks. A woman is shown looking for help next to a man with a puddle of blood emerging from his right side. Photos of civilians arriving at the Indonesian hospital show men in plain clothing with wounds to the back and legs being carried; it is possible some are deceased. A photo also shows a young boy with burns to his face and a bloodied body being carried on a stretcher into the hospital.
Photographs from inside the hospital show children intubated with oxygen sharing a bed due to lack of space. Another is pictured on the floor in his bloodied pyjama pants while a nurse attempts to rescue him. Although it is unclear the exact number of civilians killed, photographs indicate many were young men and young children; several elderly men also appear to have been killed.
A video shared by TRT World shows a young boy crying while he asks, “What have we done? We did nothing wrong!”
A post by Abdelmoundji Khelladi on Facebook also claimed that there were “reports of the fall of fragments believed to be internationally banned phosphorous bombs.”
Where sources identified the belligerents, most sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces. One source on Twitter/X, @gaza_report, however, claimed that the strike occurred due to “an errant M-75 heavy rocket fired by Qassam.”
Where possible, names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the third and eighth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ lists.