On August 19th, 2025, alleged Israeli artillery and/or sniper fire struck near the Kosefim aid site, southeast of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, where aid workers were securing aid while others waited for it. At least five people were reportedly killed.
The Palestinian Press Agency first reported the incident at 1:11 AM, later identifying those reportedly killed as 29-year-old Abdullah Ahmed Abu Amra, Ali Ahmed al-Sa’aydeh, 27-year-old Anas Abdul Karim Bashir, 27-year-old Adham Nasser Abu Riya, and Hassan Muhammad Harbaq.
Family and friends took to social media to express their grief and mourn the loss of the men.
@Samaher Farhan took to Facebook to bid farewell with “tearful eyes” to their lifelong friend and brother Abdullah Abu Amra, sharing photos of Abdullah, one where he is wearing a white t-shirt and black puffer jacket with sunglasses, smiling into the camera. The user also shared a more sobering photo of Abdullah after his death, with a blood-stained sheet covering him apart from his face, which is visible.
Osama al-Kahlout reported the death of Ali Ahmed al-Sa’aydeh, sharing a photo of him sitting in a chair wearing a bright yellow and navy blue top, gazing into the camera and appearing relaxed.
Many mourned the loss of their dear friend and brother Anas Bashir. Testimonies were widely shared, including by Housewives Kitchen, who posted screenshots of her messages with Anas Bashir, describing him as “helpful” and “kind.” She shared a story, saying: “Every time I went, I found him sitting by the door. He never neglected anyone.” Another social media user, Abu Mahmoud Abu Samra, shared how he met Anas during “displacement in Deir al-Balah,” saying that although they were friends for a short while, his strength and resilience “always made you feel like he knew no fear.”
Testimonies also highlighted his passion for football, noting that he was the founder and team supporter of the Ittihad Shabab Deir al-Balah Club, a football club for young men. The club’s fan association paid their respects for the loss of Anas Bashir. Attached to this tribute was a photo of Anas standing with his arm raised to the sky, cheering in a crowd with a smile on his face.
Local sources indicated that Anas Bashir was among those targeted east of Deir al-Balah while securing goods and decorations for the youth of the area. Many of these tributes shared various photos of Anas throughout his life, smiling, with friends, family, or alone, capturing small moments of his life. The Bashir family Deir al-Balah Family Facebook page expressed their sadness at his loss and shared that his funeral procession departed at 9 a.m. from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Audio shared by X/Twitter user @Yahya_basheer01 allegedly captured a conversation between the IDF and the “Bashir family in Deir al-Balah this morning.” The Israeli soldier warns the family to remain away from places under Hamas control, while the Bashir family maintain they have nothing to do with the group.
A photograph shared by Sameh Abdel Gawad shows Anas Bashir holding a gun. Arms are common in Gaza and no source alleged he was involved with any armed group. As such he has been classified as a civilian unless further information emerges. A further photograph shared by Abu Deema and Abu Mahmoud Al-Azaizeh Al-Mansoom show Bashir wearing a headband seemingly associated with Fatah. Though engaged in militancy in the past, Fatah no longer operates an armed wing in Gaza. Sources give no indication that Anas Bashir was involved with any armed group that is self-affiliated with Fatah.
Others continued to share tributes for another victim of the incident, Adham Abu Rayya, originally from Tal al-Zaatar, according to local sources. A testimony from Munir Tayti on Facebook stated that Adham worked as a Hebron traffic police officer and that despite requesting leave to see his family, he was unable to return to the West Bank before the incident. Users such as Mohammad J. Hajjaj shared their grief alongside photos of Adham in uniform, an all-black outfit with sunglasses and a dark navy blue beret, describing their sadness at the loss of their “colleague and brother.” Other photos shared across social media showed Adham at work, with friends and family, smiling and appearing happy.
Where possible, the ages of victims have been verified by cross-checking names against lists of fatalities shared online by Shireen Monitor, which publishes a list of “martyrs” of Israeli forces. Multiple sources indicate that all five men were working in aid security when they were killed. Local sources, including @Mahmoud Mohsen, indicated that Ali al-Sa’aydeh was killed by sniper fire. However, no other sources explicitly stated whether the other men died from the same sniper fire or from separate artillery shelling. Airwars will update the incident should new information become available.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.