On the evening of Saturday, July 24th, 2024, at least two civilian members of the Youssef family, including an engineer and innovator, were reportedly killed and up to two civilians were injured in an alleged Israeli drone strike in the Qizan al Najjar area, south of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. A third member of the Youssef family was killed and has been identified as a militant.
Most sources reported that three men were killed during the incident, while other sources reported that two people were wounded. However, no sources reporting about two injured men also mentioned the fatalities, signifying initial uncertainty regarding the death toll. Similarly, Safa PS, while first reporting about the injury of two people, reported half an hour later about the death of three men.
Several sources, including Facebook posts by Hani Alshaer and Umm Sami Al Masyr, identified the victims as members of the Youssef family. The deceased were reported as brothers 40-year-old Ahmed Sharif Youssef and 44-year-old Mohamed Sharif Youssef, and Mohamed’s son, Youssef Zakaria Kaloussa (a militant).
When Airwars first published this incident on December 8, 2024, no open sources were found to suggest that Youssef Zakaria Kaloussa was a militant. As such, Youssef Zakaria Kaloussa was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status’. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.
On July 30, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Youssef Zakaria Kaloussa, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Youssef Zakaria Kaloussa’s status from civilian to militant and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from three to two.
Family members and friends mourned the loss on social media, sharing pictures and tributes to the deceased. Najlaa Kallousa posted pictures on Facebook, showing two men – likely Mohamed and Ahmed – sitting together, as well as a picture of Mohamed’s son Youssef, dressed formally at an event. Youssef was a young man around the age of 20. In one of the pictures, he is seen wearing a beige hoodie and black trousers.
A cousin of the two deceased brothers, Aisha Nahed, posted a photo on Facebook, likely showing Mohamed holding a certificate, describing him as a “creative engineer and thinker” and Ahmed as “polite and well-mannered.” Mohamed was a middle-aged man with a round shaved face, grey hair, wearing glasses. Ahmed was also a middle-aged man with a thick beard.
Manar Kallousa and Ayman Kallousa both shared pictures of their cousins Ahmed and Mohamed on Facebook and an image showing Youssef in a dark green sweater smiling at the camera. Facebook user Ibrahim Matar Abu Ahmed bid farewell to his friend Mohamed, as well as Mohamed’s brother and son, saying that Mohamed was “the creative one of the geniuses of Palestinian Incubator for Information and Communicative Technology and the Cluster of Entrepreneurs and Innovators.” He also posted a portrait of Mohamed as well as a picture of his son at the beach wearing a t-shirt with the saying, “There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy.”
Most sources did not provide specifics on the form of attack. However, some sources, including Echo of Palestine and Hani Alshaer, reported on Facebook that the men were killed as a result of a drone strike.
Where sources identified a belligerent, the attack was attributed to the Israeli Military.
Regarding the specific area of the incident, all sources that referred to the location reported that the incident happened in the Qizan al-Najjar area south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The local time of the incident is unknown. However, Safa PS posted at 20:41 about the injury of two men, followed by an update about the death of three men at 21:10, suggesting the strike occurred in the evening.
Mohamed and Youssef’s 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 is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the sixth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on September 15, 2024.