In the early hours of Monday, November 6th, 2023, at least twenty members of the Al-Sinwar family, including thirteen children, four women, and three men, were killed and a number of civilians were injured when an alleged Israeli airstrike struck their family home on Al-Ajarmah Street in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip. In addition, another civilian related to the Al-Sinwar family also lost their life due to the alleged strike. Multiple bodies and injuries were brought to the Indonesian Hospital from the scene at the Al-Sinwar house.
Although the family holds the same name as Hamas militant leader Yahya Sinwar, responsible for the deadly October 7th attacks inside Israel, Airwars was unable to find any connections between this family and militant activities or links to Yahya Sinwar himself. This will be updated should further information come to light.
The incident was documented by multiple news agencies – @ShehabAgency on Twitter/X posted pictures of a completely destroyed Sinwar family home and rescue efforts amidst piles of rubble. In a later tweet, @ShehabAgency added photos of three of those killed and other injuries as a result of the alleged strike. Two injured girls can be seen in the pictures.
Similarly, Palestine Now, Palinfo Air, Qudsn, and Voice of Palestine Radio covered the incident and shared images from the scene on Twitter/X. Additionally, social media users also added more information about the incident, for example, Abdulla Zueiter posted on Facebook, “6 martyrs arrive at the Indonesian Hospital after targeting the Al-Sinwar family home in Al-Ajarmah Street.”
Haya Al-Sinwar, a relative of the Al-Sinwar family, shared a detailed account of the incident and the loved ones she lost in the alleged strike on Facebook. Haya described waking up at 2:30 AM to chaos and destruction.
She recounted the loss of several family members, including her uncle 67-year-old Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar (Abu Hussein), whom she described as kind-hearted and selfless. She wrote: “The kind uncle, oh God, how good he is and how kind your soul is, my uncle, there is no meanness or malice.” Haya also mentioned her cousin Muhammad Ziad Mahmoud Al-Fram, a 30-year-old who had recently survived two previous injuries and left Beit Lahia for Jabalia, fleeing under the heavy shelling, only to be killed in Jabalia.
Nurse Hanan Sameer mourned the death of her “fasting and praying” uncle Abdullah Hussein in a Facebook post. Hamed Al-Fram and Mustafa Al-Fram wrote tributes to the late Muhammad Al-Fram, sharing images of a young bearded man.
A son of Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar, 35-year-old Mazen Abdullah Al-Sinwar, described as good-natured and well-mannered by Haya, was killed along with his 35-year-old wife Fidaa Suhail Saeed Al-Hashem (Al-Sinwar) whom Haya described as a “kind woman” and their four small children – nine-year-old girl Jana Mazen Abdullah Al-Sinwar, 11-year-old girl Tagreed Mazen Abdullah Al-Sinwar, and seven-year-old boy Abdul Rahman Mazen Abdullah Al-Sinwar who were all in elementary school, while Muhammad Mazen Abdullah Al-Sinwar was a six-month-old infant.
Haya recalled her cousins, 24-year-old Muhammad Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar, another son of Abdullah, as an engaged man preparing for his wedding, and 21-year-old woman Majd Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar, daughter of Abdullah, as an aspiring accountant nearing graduation. She remembered Muhammad and Majd’s sister, Rida Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar, a 35-year-old widow pursuing education to support her children, 10-year-old girl Lama Yousef Al-Madhoun, 16-year-old girl Suja Yousef Al-Madhoun, 14-year-old girl Nada Yousef Al-Madhoun, eight-year-old girl Malak Yousef Al-Madhoun, and six-year-old boy Muhammad Yousef Al-Madhoun, who recently lost their father. All of Rida’s children were killed along with their mother.
Haya’s post also recalled her cousin, 29-year-old Nour Abdullah Hussein Al-Sinwar, another daughter of Abdullah, who had been killed in the strike alongside her four children – nine-year-old daughter Lana Hamza Al-Aloul, seven-year-old son Islam Hamza Al-Aloul, three-year-old son Ishaq Hamza Al-Aloul, and one-year-old daughter Tulin Hamza Al-Aloul, who were all under the age of 10 and displaced from the Al-Tawam area. Haya emphasized that the late Nour was very beautiful: “All the daughters of my cousin Abu Hussein were beautiful, Nour was the most beautiful, it’s been a long time since I saw you, but Nour is always imprinted in my memory and she laughs, just like the full moon.”
Lastly, Haya also noted that some victims were displaced persons seeking safety, and described widespread destruction in the neighbourhood, with search efforts for those killed still ongoing. She wrote “All of our family’s houses in the neighborhood were partially destroyed and are uninhabitable, our injuries are between moderate and minor, thank God, and the entire neighborhood received the same amount of calamity, demolition, and terror. Now we and the neighbors live without doors or windows, in houses that have collapsed more than before, there is no safe place.”
Other relatives of the Al-Sinwar family also expressed their grief online. Abu Ahmed Al-Sinwar and Nurse Hanan Sameer shared condolences on Facebook, while Ibrahim Al-Hashim mourned his cousin Fidaa Al-Hashim and her family.
Relatives of Muhammad Ziad Al-Fram also posted their condolences on Facebook. Hamed Al-Fram shared a picture of Muhammad and added “There is no power nor strength save in Allah, the Most High, the Almighty. Glory and eternity to our righteous martyrs. You have hurt our hearts and broken our backs, my uncle. Martyr / Muhammad Ziad Tawfiq Al-Faram.” Mustafa Al-Fram also posted pictures of Muhammad and added “We were saddened by your departure and tired by your death, but our consolation is that you are alive and well with a generous Lord. God Almighty said: {And never think that those who have been killed in the way of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision.} [1]. May Allah have mercy on him, expand his entrance, and gather him with the martyrs and the righteous in the highest heavens.” as tribute.
All names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities in Gaza released on January 10, 2024.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli Military.