Around 1 AM on the 23rd of September 2024, a declared Israeli strike hit a group of civilians sheltering in the Khaled bin al-Walid School, in the Al Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in Deir al-Balah, the Gaza strip. The strike injured civilians and killed a young married couple, their daughter, and one of their sons. Some sources reported a further two of their children were injured while others reported their deaths. Israel Defense Forces stated that they had conducted a “precise strike” on the school, targeting Hamas terrorists operating from the compound.
The identified victims were the young man Mujahed Abed al-Hadi Aqel, his wife Islam Abdallah Adwan, their daughter Sham Mujahed Aqel, and their son Moatsem Mujahed Aqel. The two other sons either injured or also killed were named Ahmed Mujahed Aqel, and Abed al-Rahman Mujahed Aqel.
Initial reports of the incident reported on three dead victims: Mujahed Abed Al Hadi Aqel, Islam Abdallah Adwan, and their daughter, Sham Mujahed Aqel. Additionally, multiple injuries were reported by several sources. Sahafa Ghazaawia and Jazayer Stinia reported on Facebook that Ahmed Mujahed Aqel and Abed Al Rahman Mujahed Aqel –the sons of Mujahed and Islam– had been injured. Bawabt Al Lajueen Al Falstinin posted that “one son remained alive in intensive care”, without naming the child.
Later, Yasser Yousif reported on Facebook that the number of deaths had increased to four, now including the couple’s son, Moatsem Mujahed Aqel. Khāđíjã Böhmądî also reported the death of the child, including a picture of his dead body wrapped in a sheet.
X/Twitter user @Nawras_Atta reported the number of dead victims to be five, while Ajel raised the number to six on his Facebook post, naming Mujaheed, Islam, Sham, Moatsem. This post included Ahmed and Abed Al Rahman as well, denouncing that “an entire family was erased from the civil registry”.
Multiple sources shared photographic evidence of the incident in their posts, including a close picture of a deceased Mujahed’s face. Al’iielamai Mahmoud Abujnidaa shared a video showing one of the children at the hospital full of bandages, covered in a thermal blanket and connected to an assisted breathing apparatus. Aildatl89 shared several pictures of an injured child being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and another one of the child inside the medic facilities.
Al Resalah included in his Facebook post pictures of the destroyed classroom in which the family of Mujahed Abed Al Hadi Aqel had sought refuge, showcasing the destruction of the room in the aftermath of the airstrike. Additionally, Al Shabab Radio News shared a video touring the Khalid bin al-Walid School after the Israeli attack, in which the damage to the entire facilities can be observed. The video ends in the room shown in the pictures shared by Al Resalah, understood to have been the room in which the Aqel family was sheltered.
Numerous messages mourning the deaths of the family were found. Sami Edwan grieved the death of his niece Islam Adwan, her husband and their children; Ayounk Watni and Salma Hesham mourned the death of their cousin Islam and her family, as well. Eman Jourani wrote, “Mujahed Aql, with the everlasting smile, may your soul rest in peace”.
Fadwa Em Saja shared a screenshot of a previous chat conversation with Islam, captioning the post with the following: “Great sadness in my heart. My dear cousin, my second mother; the beautiful, creative Islam Abdullah Adwan, a martyr, God willing. We consider her as such and we do not vouch for anyone before God… She and her hero husband Mujahid Aql and her spoiled princess daughter Sham… May God have mercy on them all and grant us great reward, for our affliction is great and our wound is deep…”
Moreover, Nada Khamis also lamented the deaths, writing, “May God have mercy on you, my cousin (Mujahid Abdul Hadi Aql), you, your wife and your daughter”.
Where possible, 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 seventh ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on their official Telegram channel that “A short while ago, with the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center in the central Gaza Strip. The command and control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the ‘Khaled ibn al-Walid’ School, was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence information.” At the time of writing, Airwars was unable to find information through open sources that indicated any of those killed in the strike were members of militant groups.