On March 25, 2024 two people were reportedly killed by an alleged Israeli double-tap airstrike at the Haidar Abd Al Shafi roundabout west of Gaza City in the Gaza Strip. The victims were identified by multiple sources as a 44-year-old father, Saher Anas Rayan, and his 17-year-old son, Anas Saher Rayan who had been killed while trying to rescue their wounded neighbors in the Hamada family.

The Committee to Protect Journalists identified Saher Anas Rayan as “a journalist who works for the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.” Salt Rafi, a photographer for WAFA and a board member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, posted on Facebook following the attack specifying that “our brother and colleague, Saher Akram Rayyan, and his son Anas were martyred at the Haidar roundabout.”

A majority of the sources reporting on the incident attached multiple photos to their statement, many of the photos being the same across various platforms and posts. Multiple photographs show Saher in a red sweater and brown jacket, standing near the sea. Anas is often pictured smiling in religious garb at a mosque. Indeed, sources lauded Anas for being a “memoriser of the Holy Quran.”

Following the attack, multiple sources, including Palestinian broadcasting network ‘Radio Alam,’ cited that “Journalist Saher Akram Rayyan and his son Anas were killed in an Israeli bombing…while trying to rescue their wounded neighbors…” Another source, known as Wael Alshagra, posted on Facebook that their “beloved Saher Akram Rayyan (Abu Akram) and his son Anas Akram Rayyan…have passed away. They were killed while rescuing the wounded at the doorstep of their home on Haider Roundabout.” The initial attack and wounded victims have been covered in a separate incident.

Ahmed Albatsh, a friend of Anas, posted a photograph of them both, writing that his “departure has pained us and your death has saddened us.” Hatem Moussa, remembering Saher, mourned him as a “dear friend, colleague, and brother.”

Anas and Saher were matched against the Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza, first appearing in the list’s seventh publication. Anas was fully matched by name. Saher was identified as Saher “Akram Hussein” Rayan. This is likely the same individual, as the first and last names and age all correspond, though the match has been classified as partial given that it is not definitive.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the bombardment to Israeli forces.