On November 6, 2023, nine members of the Ahl family, including two women and three children, were killed alongside dozens of civilians after an alleged Israeli airstrike on their family residence in the Al Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Among those killed was 34-year-old Mohammed Majed Hamouda al-Ahl, a laboratory technician for the NGO “Doctors without Borders (MSF)”, along with his two daughters, parents, and siblings.
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) posted on Facebook a message that identified Mohammed al-Ahl as one of their lab technicians, saying he had worked at the organisation for over two years. The post stated that Mohammed al-Ahl and his family were killed after his home in the Al Shati refugee camp collapsed after the area was bombed allegedly by the Israeli military, and dozens of civilians were reportedly killed.
The profile of Mohammed Majed Hamouda Ahl on the website “Genocide in Gaza” stated that he worked in the Al-Rantisi Hospital laboratory. In the attached image he is seen as a young man with a short dark hair and a trimmed dark beard wearing a medical uniform.
The airstrike on the Ahl family home resulted also in the death of the grandfather, 61-year-old Majed Ahl and his 57-year-old wife Raika Mohammed al-Shanti/Ahl, along with their three children: 19-year-old daughter Rua`a Majed Hamouda Ahl, 31-year-old Muhannad Majed Hamouda Ahl and Mohammad Majed Hamouda Ahl.
According to the Raika Mohammed Al-Shanti “Ahl” profile on the website “Genocide in Gaza”, she was 57 years old. The attached image showed her as a middle-aged smiling woman wearing a red hijab and a black dress.
Muhannad Ahl’s profile on “Genocide in Gaza” claims that he was an electrical engineer. In the image featured on his profile, he is seen as a young man with an elongated face and a dark trimmed beard, wearing a grey shirt and standing in front of the sea.
The two daughters of Mohammad Ahl, three-year-old Massa Mohammad Majed Ahl and six-year-old Rose Mohammad MajedAhl – were also killed during the incident.
Their profiles on “Genocide in Gaza” featured an image where two sisters are standing together, smiling at a camera.
The brother of Raika, 41-year-old Badr Mohammed Rajab al-Shanti, was also killed along with his son, 15-year-old Rajab Badr Mohammed al-Shanti.
According to Rajab Badr Mohammed al-Shanti’s profile on the website “Genocide in Gaza”, he was 15 years old. In the image attached, he is seen as a smiling teenager standing outdoors, wearing a grey suit, a white shirt and a black tie. The profile of his father, Badr Mohammed Rajab al-Shanti, confirmed his age of 41.
In a Facebook post, Hadeel Ahel, the sister of Mohammed Majed Ahl, announced that “my family was martyred.” She described Mohammed Ahl as “the most affectionate brother” and Badr Mohammed Al-Shanti as “the most handsome man in the world.” These sentiments were echoed by friends and wider family online. Salem Salem posted that “the heart is saddened, the eyes shed tears, and we are saddened by your [Muhannad Majed Hamouda Ahl] departure.”
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 matches individuals to the first list where their names appeared. In regard to this incident, some names were matched to the third “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza” list, which was released on April 1st, 2024. Others first appeared in the list’s sixth iteration, which was released on September 15th, 2024.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.