On December 29, 2023, three people were killed by alleged Israeli gunfire or bombing in Jabalia Refugee Camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The victims were identified as 68-year-old Fathi Mahmoud Mohammed Abu Matar, his son, 32-year-old Omar Fathi Mahmoud Abu Matar, and Fathi’s uncle, 74-year-old Hassan Mustafa Mohammed Abu Aoun (Abu Nash’at). Hassan was the father of journalist Abdul Nasser Abu Aoun.
Around 2:00 p.m. on December 29, several sources reported that “the father of Al-Manar TV correspondent in the Gaza Strip, journalist Abdul Nasser Abu Aoun, was killed in an Israeli bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.”
Sources varied on the nature of the deadly attack, with journalist Mohammed Ismail Al-Haddad reporting that “the father of our dear colleague, Abdul Nasser Abu Aoun, "Abu Jamal," was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the northern Gaza Strip,” while Fayez Abu Oun [Aoun] reported that the victims were killed by “direct gunfire by the Israeli .... forces” on “Old Gaza Street.”
Following the attack, friends and loved ones mourned the victims online.
Posting from Fathi’s account, one of his surviving children grieved “The martyrdom of my father, Fathi Mahmoud Abu Matar, my brother, Omar Fathi Abu Matar, and (Al-Mukhtar) Nash'at Abu Aoun, martyrs by God's will.” They shared photos of Fathi and Omar as well.
Mahmoud R Abu Matar wrote, “This family, like all the families of our homeland, continues to offer blood and martyrs. With immense pride, honor, and acceptance of God's decree and destiny, we mourn: my uncle, Professor Fathi Mahmoud Abu Matar, his son, Omar Fathi Abu Matar, and the Mukhtar of Yebna village, Hassan Abu Aoun. All of them were martyred while safe in their homes.”
Mohammed Al-Awf posted a photo of Fathi wearing a formal suit and offered “My deepest condolences to my aunt Umm Omar, my uncle Abu Omar, and the entire Abu Matar family on the martyrdom of the kind man, Professor Fathi Mahmoud Abu Matar, and his [son] Omar Fathi Abu Matar. May God have mercy on them and grant them paradise.”
Nezar Abu Matar mourned “The martyrdom of my cousin, the honorable teacher Fathi Mahmoud Muhammad Abu Matar, and his son, Omar Fathi Abu Matar, and my mother's uncle and head of the Abu Aoun family, Hassan Abu Aoun.”
Tamer Abu Aoun shared a smiling photo of Hassan wrote, “With profound sorrow and a broken heart, I mourn my grandfather, the martyr, God willing, Professor and Mukhtar Hassan Mustafa Abu Aoun (Abu Nash'at), who was targeted by the cowardly and monstrous [Israeli forces], which only preys on the elderly, children, and women, in Jabalia.” Tamer referred to their late grandfather as “my companion in every detail of our sweet days,” and stated “You have left a terrifying void, and I do not know how I will cope with it in the days that remain.”
Yousif Mehanna wrote, “I mourn the loss of my friends, brothers, and family, the Abu Aoun family,” listing eight people, including his “father, Haj Mukhtar (Mukhtar of the village of Yibna and the Abu Aoun family) / Hassan Mustafa Abu Aoun "Abu Nash'at." Yousif also shared a photo of his father sitting under the shade of a tree.
Multiple sources referred to Hassan as the “Mukhtar of the village of Yibna.” Yibna was a Palestinian village located near what is now known as the modern Israeli city of Yavne, which was established in 1949. Hassan’s title suggests that his family may have hailed from Yibna before being displaced to Gaza during the Nakhba.
Seemingly referring to Hassan, Facebook user ‘Abu Omar Mustafa’ announced, “My father was martyred! He was martyred facing the enemy, not turning his back after refusing to repeat the Nakba of 1948. He hastened his departure... and joined my mother! This despicable war took so much from us but...by God's covenant... we will not forget.
Journalist Abdul Nasser Abu Aoun shared a photo of himself and Hassan and wrote, “Our support, our strength, our role model, our teacher, the educator of generations, our beloved father, the steadfast fighter, Mukhtar Hassan Abu Aoun Abu Nash'at, along with my cousin and his son, are now in the care of the Most Merciful. They are martyrs who remained steadfast until their last breath, never leaving their home. They were executed rather than witness the humiliation and subjugation inflicted upon our people... their forced removal in such a degrading manner. Nothing is more painful than losing a pillar of support... and no support equals the presence of a father!” Though Abdul Nasser described his father as a “fighter,” Airwars did not find evidence among the sources reviewed that Hassan was involved in active hostilities as a militant. Rather, in the context of this statement, the term “fighter” may have been used to describe the strength of the victim’s determination to stay home rather than evacuating the area according to Israeli orders. As such, Hassan has been graded as a civilian. Should additional information become available, Airwars will update its assessment accordingly.
On the first anniversary of this father’s death, Abdul Nasser paid tribute to the “martyrdom of our role model, our support, and the head of our family, our dear father,” asking the painful question: “How can we begin to describe this orphanhood, our father?” Abdul Nasser wrote that “Every day that passes for our people in this ongoing holocaust and massacre, our certainty grows stronger that you are in a more beautiful place, where there is no war and no pain. But we are here, embracing your teachings and your unforgettable legacy. How we long for you, our beloved father.”
Two years after Hassan’s killing, Abdul Nasser posted that: “To write about a father's passing on the second anniversary of his martyrdom... means to evoke a pain that never subsides, a pain that never ceases.” He explained that “On this day, it's not just the memory that returns, but the full force of orphanhood, sharp and merciless, offering no solace. Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother's passing, may God have mercy on her, and today it's the anniversary of my father, my teacher, my role model, my support... as if loss has decided to besiege my heart from all sides, leaving it exposed to the pain [...] After them, everything changed, and we are no longer the same—not just us, but an entire people in the afflicted, lost, and lost Gaza. [...] And what's more painful than the absence itself, what adds to the bitterness and anguish, is that my father's grave is now in a forbidden, yellow zone, inaccessible to us. [...] Even grief is now confined, and prayers are offered from afar, as if loss was not content with taking our father, but also confiscated the right to bid farewell, visit, and weep together at his grave.” Accompanying this tribute was a photo of Hassan holding a cup of tea and sitting in front of a mural featuring the Palestinian flag and a portrait of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
Fayez Abu Oun [Aoun] posted two photos of Hassan and offered “A Tribute to a Virtuous Man: "The Mukhtar of the Family," writing that “The Abu Aoun family, both at home and abroad, and especially the sons of the late Shukri Ahmed Abu Aoun, mourn the loss of their uncle, the martyr Mukhtar Hassan Mustafa Muhammad Abu Aoun (Abu Nash'at), who was martyred today, Friday, December 29, 2023, as a result of direct gunfire by the Israeli ... forces. He was executed, along with his nephew, Fathi Mahmoud Abu Matar, and his son Omar, in the Old Gaza Street.”
Abu Yusuf Abu Awn [Aoun] shared photos of Hassan and wrote, “We mourn the loss of our dear uncle and esteemed educator, the head of the Abu Aoun family, Professor Hassan Mustafa Abu Aoun (Abu Nash'at), who ascended to God as a martyr after being targeted by the criminal Israeli enemy, joining the ranks of martyrs from our family and relatives. We say only what pleases our Lord.”
Raeda Mahmoud wrote, “With deep sorrow and grief, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Abu Aoun family in general, and especially to my mother, Umm Raed Al-Hawani, and my uncles, Abu Wael Abu Aoun, Fayez Abu Aoun, Abu Shukri Abu Aoun, and lawyer Zuhair Abu Aoun, on the martyrdom of their uncle, Mukhtar Hassan Abu Aoun (Abu Nash’at). I also extend my condolences to my uncle Zuhair’s wife, Umm Nael, on the martyrdom of her father, may God have mercy on him and grant him and his nephew and son a place in Paradise, who were executed in cold blood.”
Emad Eid prayed, “May God have mercy on the father of my friend Abdul Nasser Abu Aoun, who passed away as a martyr in Gaza.”
“We announce the martyrdom of my aunt's husband and the head of the Abu Aoun family, Hassan Mustafa Abu Aoun (Abu Nash'at), as a result of a brutal Israeli bombing in Jabalia. Our deepest condolences to my aunt and beloved Umm al-Amir and the family of the martyr Abu Aoun,” wrote Ahmad Warshgh. Fahed Warshagha posted a similar message, referring to Hassan as their “father-in-law.”
All 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 fourth 'Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza' list.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.