Five civilians, including four members of the Abu al-Sibah family, were killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike that hit their family house in Sar and Khash-Sham in Gaza on November 3rd or 4th 2023.
Local sources identified the names of the killed family members as: 34-year-old Professor Hamza Mohammed Abu al-Sibah, his brother 29-year-old Belal Mohammed Abu al-Sibah, his sister 39-year-old Elham Mohammed Abu al-Sibah (Hamdan), and Elham’s daughter whose name is unknown. A friend and colleague of Hamza, 32-year-old Muhammad al-Awar, was also killed.
Family and friends took to social media to express their grief and mourn the loss of their loved ones. “And never think that those who are killed in the cause of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision” wrote Haitham Abu Nasser, a friend of Hamza and Muhammad. Another friend, Fadi Al Haj, shared on Facebook that he had been avoiding his phone to escape the news of losing a loved one. However, he had to express deep sorrow after learning about the loss of a friend like Hamza. Amal Alqadi, a cousin of Hamza, Belal, and Elham, wished condolences to his aunt Umm Ahmed Abu Al-Subh and his mother Najah Alqadi on the loss of their relatives, children and niece/nephews respectively.
In particular, the local community and the Palestinian Bar Association Gaza mourned the death of the two friends and colleagues: Hamza and Muhammad. They had been friends for over 13 years, both lawyers and partners at the same law firm. Always together, they shared a close circle of friends and acquaintances. Hamza was described as a “whirlwind” whose dream was to travel the world, while Muhammad was always supportive and uplifting with his colleagues, creating a positive and motivating environment around him, reported Martyrs of Gaza on Twitter. The latter also added: “They were companions in this world, and Allah willed them to be companions in the hereafter. They were buried together in the same grave.” Local sources posted various images of Hamza and Muhammad in suits often in office settings.
The local time of the incident is unknown but the post of Martyrs of Gaza mentioned it happened at night. While the majority of sources reported on the incident on November 3rd, a post from Amal Hadad identified the incident as occurring on November 4th.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.
All full 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 second ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on January 7th, 2024.