Around dawn on Friday, 16th May 2025, two men were killed during an alleged Israeli airstrike and/or artillery strike on the home of Lieutenant Colonel Zaher Ayman Alian in the Qalibu area, north of the Gaza Strip.
According to local reporting, 43-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Zaher Ayman Alian (Abu Musab), the Director of Beit Hanoun Police Station, and his nephew, 22-year-old Ayman Ali Alian were killed in the strike. Pictures shared showed Zaher Alian in his police uniform sitting at a desk flanked by two flags, one being that of Palestine. A picture from Doaa Elyan includes a loved one kissing the body of Zaher Alian on the forehead. Airwars has classified Zaher Ayman Alian as a civilian, on the understanding that the police units and infrastructure of civil defense are distinct from the militant wing of Hamas, which is participating in hostilities. This will be updated should further information indicating Alian was a member of a militant group come to light.
Multiple sources reported that several people were injured but no further details were found.
The General Directorate of Police put out a statement mourning the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Alian, along with an appeal to the international community to intervene to prevent attacks on the police force, preventing them from performing their duty.
In one post Zaher Ayman Alian’s nephew, Ayman Ali Alian, is pictured smiling into the camera wearing sports shirts. Mohamed Awad reported that they had recovered Ayman Ali Alian’s body from under the rubble.
Jassem_Alabed posted a video of a large smoke plume with the caption “Scenes of the targeting of the Qalibo and Tabat al-Basheer areas, surrounding the Indonesian Hospital, north of the Gaza Strip.”
Sources disputed the type of strike and where it took place, some described how it was a result of artillery shelling, targeting citizens in the Qalibo area, Multiple sources corroborated, resharing the same information about the incident. However other sources claimed that the incident was a result of an airstrike, directly targeting Lieutenant Colone Zaher Ayman Alian’s home.
Some sources also mentioned that the strike occurred in Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Both 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 ninth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 23, 2025.