On Monday, November 6, 2023, an alleged Israeli airstrike on the home of the al-Ajrami family in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 12 civilians, including least six children and four women, and injured at least six others.
The matriarch of the family, Umm Raed al-Ajrami, was killed alongside many of her family members, including her daughter 37-year-old Ilham Abdul-Mutti al-Ajrami, and several grandchildren. Her grandsons 27-year-old Walid Raed al-Ajrami and Yamen Nidal al-Ajrami were killed, as were her granddaughters 14-year-old Asma Raed al-Ajrami and Rowan Nidal al-Ajrami. Firas Nidal al-Ajrami, another grandson, was injured along with his mother, Reem al-Ajrami.
The daughter-in-law of Umm Raed Al-Ajrami, Fida’a Abu Shanar, was killed alongside her two daughters, four-year-old Celine Ahmed al-Ajrami and one-year-old Eileen Ahmed al-Ajrami, and her son, Firas Ahmed al-Ajrami.
Umm Raed’s sons, Raed Abdul-Mutti al-Ajrami and Ahmad Abdul-Mutti al-Ajrami were injured, as was Ahmad’s daughter Khatira Ahmad al-Ajrami and Raed’s son , Hamza Raed al-Ajrami. Two daughters of Abu Firas al-Ajrami were also reported killed – as Abu Firas could be a nickname for multiple of Umm Raed’s sons, its possible that the daughters have already been named, but without further information the two daughters have been counted in the maximum toll.
Umm Raed’s other granddaughter, 18-year-old Najwa Abdullah al-Ajrami, was also reported injured. However, Najwa was later found on the Ministry of Health list of fatalities documented in Gaza, pointing to the possibility that she later died from wounds sustained in this incident. It is also possible Najwa was first injured and later killed in another strike but based on her inclusion on the list, she has been counted as killed until further information comes to light. Egyptian national Umm Muhammad Saleh al-Ajrami was also injured in the incident.
Family members and friends of the Al-Ajrami family wrote heartfelt tributes on social media where they described their grief. Facebook user Nurse Shrooq Ezz remembered her “friend and beloved childhood companion” Rowan al-Ajrami, praying that God would “have mercy on her pure soul and to grant her a place in His spacious gardens”. Waleed al-Ajrami mourned his nephew and niece Yamen and Rowan, grieving their loss amongst the loss of “the children of [his] cousin Ahmed Alajrami Abu Firas and his wife and the children of [his] cousin Abu Al-Walid Raed Al-Ajrami”. Attached was a picture of a young boy, likely Yaman, smiling at the camera and making peace signs with his fingers.
Diaa Alajrami posted about the loss of her family members in the bombing, mentioning that condolences would be accepted after 3 PM at her home in Beitunia next to the Al-Basheer Car Showroom.
Majed al-Ajrami shared prayers on social media for his “precious” cousin Abu Firas, asking that “God […] grant him a complete recovery” and sharing that Abu Firas was “now receiving treatment at the European Hospital.” Made clarified that Abu Firas was “awaiting transfer” to a hospital in Egypt to “complete his treatment journey”. He also shared a photo of Abu Firas in a hospital bed, waving at the camera.
Tamer Ajrami shared a photo which showed the destruction in the wake of the strike: buildings in ruins and people looking for survivors amidst the rubble.
Where possible, name were 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 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names were matched to the third ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on April 1st, 2024 and the sixth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on September 16, 2024.