Gaza: Two thirds of fatalities were either civilians or militants not engaged in combat

CLARIFICATION: A Palestinian faction issuing a statement in mourning of a person does not constitute an indication that said person was affiliated with the faction. Factions will sometimes mourn non-affiliated relatives. In certain instances, factions have also been known to claim a certain deceased person as a member of their group, where that claim was found afterwards to be baseless. In the 18 cases listed below, the factions issued a statement in mourning as well as claimed the persons as their members, in addition to listing their rank. The claims have not been disputed, and Jerusalem24 is satisfied that they are authentic.

Jerusalem24 – Gaza suffered a total of 35 fatalities when Israel attacked the Strip without warning on 9 May, including a 4-year-old boy with a heart condition who died of a panic attack, and a laborer from Gaza who was killed by a Palestinian rocket while working at a non-protected construction site inside Israel. One Israeli was killed by a Palestinian rocket in Rehovot.

A total of 1,244 people from 236 families have been displaced within Gaza, with 103 houses completely destroyed and over 2,700 houses damaged.

One week prior, on 3 May, 58-year-old Hashel Mubarak was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza following rocket fire from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) which was launched after the death of hunger-striking detainee Khader Adnan in Israeli custody.

Earlier this year, 10-year-old Nayef Khaled Al-Odat succumbed to injuries he sustained during Israel’s bombing of Gaza in August 2022.

B’Tselem says the killing of children in Gaza last week was “not an isolated case or a mistake”. Israel has killed at least 1,264 children in Gaza since 2008, according to Defense for Children International-Palestine.

A total of seven children died in this latest assault, as well as four women who were all civilians and another six male civilians.

A total of 17 of the 35 fatalities were civilians, and 18 were affiliated with armed Palestinian factions (mainly the PIJ whom Israel specifically targeted during this assault). Of the 18 militants, at least seven were not engaged in hostilities at the moment of their death, including five who were sleeping. Jerusalem24 has not been able to independently verify allegations by the Israeli military that the remaining 11 were engaged in combat when they were targeted, although it is likely this was not the case for at least two of them.

9 May 2023

Khalil Salah Khaled Al-Bahtini, 45

Leila Majdi Mustafa Al-Bahtini, 42*

Hajar Khalil Salah Al-Bahtini, 4

Khalil Al-Bahtini was killed along with his daughter Hajar and wife Leila in an Israeli airstrike on their apartment in the Shujaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City just after 2.00 AM on Tuesday 9 May.

Khalil was a member of the military council and leader of the northern region of the Al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of the PIJ), and was one of three targets of Israel’s initial attack in the early hours of Tuesday 9 May.

When questioned about the killing of targets alongside their wives and children, the Israeli military acknowledged there had been “some collateral” in the strikes, but did not comment further.

Dania Ala Atta Adas, 19

Eman Ala Atta Adas, 17

The airstrike that killed the Al-Bahtini family also killed sisters Dania and Eman who were residing in the same apartment building. Dania was a second-year student of applied accounting at the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, and was due to be married in June. Eman shared a room with her older sister, with whom she was very close, according to their father Alaa.

Tareq Ibrahim Mohammad Izz El-Din, 49

Mayar Tareq Ibrahim Izz El-Din, 10

Ali Tareq Ibrahim Izz El-Din, 8

During Israel’s initial round of airstrikes, PIJ leader Tareq Izz El-Din and his two children Mayar and Ali were killed while sleeping when an Israeli fighter jet targeted the entire floor of their residential building in the Al-Remal neighborhood in the center of Gaza City.

Jamal Saber Mohammad Khaswan, 52

Mervat Saleh Mohammad Khaswan, 44*

Youssef Jamal Saber Khaswan, 19

Dr. Jamal Khaswan, Chairman of Al-Wafa Hospital, his wife Mervat and their son Youssef were killed in the same strike that killed Tareq Izz El-Din and his two children. The Khaswan family lived in the apartment above the Izz El-Dins. It was also destroyed in the “precision” airstrike targeting the Izz El-Dins.

Dr. Khaswan was a respected figure in the community and publicly mourned. Youssef was studying medicine. The Russian Mission in Palestine sais Dr. Khaswan and his children were Russian citizens. The Khaswans also have two younger children aged 14 and 9 who “are now orphans”, the Russian mission said.

Jihad Abdel Hafez Ghannam, 62

Wafa Shadeed Ghannam, 61*

Jihad Ghannam, a leader with the PIJ, and his wife Wafaa were killed while sleeping in their home in Rafah in southern Gaza during Israel’s opening round of airstrikes. Ghannam had survived multiple assassination attempts and his legs had been amputated. Several members of his family were killed in previous assaults on Gaza.

Sa’ed Jawad Farwaneh, 28

Sa’ed Farwaneh was killed when an Israeli airstrike targeted the civilian car he was traveling in near the village of Qarara north of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening.

He was affiliated with the PIJ, and the The Al-Quds Brigades (the military wing of the PIJ) issued a statement mourning his death.

Two passers-by were injured in the strike.

Wael Mohammad Al-Agha, 34

Wael Al-Agha was killed in the same Israeli airstrike as Farwaneh.

He was affiliated with the PIJ, and the The Al-Quds Brigades (the military wing of the PIJ) issued a statement mourning his death.

 

 

10 May 2023

Tamim Mohammad Daoud, 4

Tamim died of a panic attack after waking up along with his family in the middle of the night to the sound of Israeli bombs hitting a building next door.

Tamim’s father Mohammad explained his son had a heart condition for which he had undergone surgery and was receiving treatment. On the night of the strikes, “He woke up frightened and terrified,” Mohammad told Middle East Eye. He was having a panic attack.

His 29-year-old mother Lina, who is eight months pregnant, tried to soothe him but he began to grow short of breath, gasping to take in air.

After finally falling asleep for a few hours, Tamim experienced another panic attack and was rushed to hospital. He was admitted to ICU but died in the early hours of the morning.

Mohammad Youssef Abu Taimeh, 25

Mohammad Abu Taimeh was killed in an Israeli military drone attack while on his agricultural land east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.

Palestinian media reported that Abu Taimeh maintained four occupations: farming, construction, and carpentry, in addition to working as a vendor.

He was also affiliated with the Abu Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who issued a statement in mourning for him.

Alaa Maher Baraka, 27

Alaa Baraka was injured in the same Israeli drone strike in Khan Younis and succumbed to his wounds later in the day.

Baraka was also affiliated with the Abu Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades, and the PFLP issued a statement in mourning for him.

 

 

Ahmad Mohammad Al-Shobaki, 51

Ahmad Al-Shobaki was killed in a strike on Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon.

He was a civilian, but no further details are available concerning the strike that killed him.

Layan Bilal Madoukh, 10

Layan was killed when a strike hit a residential building in Al-Sahaba Street in Gaza City. Layan was at home when the strike hit on Wednesday afternoon.

Her sister was injured in the strike.

 

Yazan Jawdat Fathi Eleyyan, 16

Yazan was killed in the same strike as Layan, when debris rained down on nearby streets.

 

 

Ayman Karam Saidam, 26

Ayman Saidam was killed in an Israeli airstrike east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening.

According to medical sources at the Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital in Rafah, which confirmed two Palestinians’ deaths, another seven Palestinians were injured in the airstrike.

Saidam was affiliated with the Abu Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades, and the PFLP issued a statement in mourning for him.

Alam Samir Abdel Aziz, 27

Alam Abdel Aziz was killed in the same Israeli airstrike east of Rafah on Wednesday evening.

Abdel Aziz was affiliated with the Abu Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades, and the PFLP issued a statement in mourning for him.

 

11 May 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Ali Hassan Mohammad Ghali, 48

Mahmoud Hassan Mohammad Ghali, 23

Mahmoud Walid Mohammad Abdel Jawad, 26

PIJ leader Ali Ghali was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential apartment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Ghali’s brother Mahmoud and nephew Mahmoud Abdul Jawad (both Palestinian civilians not affiliated with the PJ) were also killed in the strike. At least seven Palestinians were injured, and several homes were damaged.

Ali Ghali was a senior leader with the Al-Quds Brigades, and the PIJ issued a statement in mourning for his death.

Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Daqqa, 43

Ahmad Abu Daqqa was killed by an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential home in Bani Soheila east of Khan Younis on Thursday afternoon.

Medical sources at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis said at least four other Palestinians were injured in the strike, which caused severe material damage to nearby homes.

Abu Daqqa was a senior leader with the PIJ, who issued a statement in mourning for his death.

Mohammad Suleiman Khalil Dadr, 32

Mohammad Dadr was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting “Hamid City” in Khan Younis on Thursday afternoon.

The Mujahideen Brigades (an armed group member of the Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian factions in Gaza) said Dadr was a member of the group, and issued a statement in mourning for his death.

 

 

Hussein Yousef Abdallah Dalloul, 23

Hussein Dalloul was killed in the same Israeli airstrike targeting “Hamid City” on Thursday afternoon.

The Mujahideen Brigades also issued a statement in mourning for him.

 

 

Oday Riyadh Al-Loh, 25

Oday Al-Loh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp in central the Gaza Strip on the evening of Thursday.

Al-Loh was affiliated with the Abu Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades. The PFLP issued a statement in mourning for him.

Abdel Haleem Najjar, 22

Abdel Haleem Najjar was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Ezbat Abu Jarad neighborhood in Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, on the evening of Thursday.

The Al-Quds Brigades (PIJ) issued a statement mourning his death.

 

12 May 2023

Eleyan Atta Abu Wadi, 36

Eleyan Abu Wadi was injured in the same airstrike that killed Abdel Haleem Najjar on the evening of Thursday 11 May.

He was rushed to the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya, and succumbed to his injuries at dawn on Friday.

The Al-Quds Brigades (PIJ) issued a statement mourning his death.

Eyad Al-Hassani, 51

Eyad Al-Hassani was killed in a targeted assassination, when an Israeli airstrike hit a home in the Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City on the evening of Friday 12 May.

The PIJ issued a statement confirming the death of a member of its Central Operations Committee, Eyad Al-Hassani, along with his aide, Mohammad Walid Abdel A’l.

The Israeli military released what it says is footage of the moment its Air Force Al-Hassani’s home.

Five other Palestinians were injured in the strike.

Mohammad Walid Abdel A’l, 33

Mohammad Abdel A’l, from Al-Sahti refugee camp near Gaza City, was killed in the same airstrike that killed Eyad Al-Hassani on the evening of 12 May.

Abdel A’l and Al-Hassani were both buried the following day, with the funeral procession departing Al-Shifa Hospital towards Al-Shati camp.

 

13 May 2023

Abdullah Abu Jabbeh, 35

Abdullah Abu Jabbeh was killed by a Palestinian rocket while working at a construction site in Shokeda, a religious moshav inside Israel near the Gaza border, on Saturday afternoon.

His 39-year-old brother Hamed, as well as Palestinian Bedouin with Israeli citizenship Suleiman Abu Sbileh, 39, were injured and hospitalized.

The three men were working at the site despite Israeli Home Front Command guidelines stating workers were only allowed onsite during the ongoing hostilities if the site had a bomb shelter, which the site in Shokeda did not.

Nabil Ziadne, the subcontractor at the site, told Haaretz that the workers were present because they could not return home to Gaza after Israel closed both crossings immediately after launching its first airstrikes on the Strip. Five foreign workers, all from Thailand, have been killed by rockets falling on construction sites with no shelter in southern Israel in the past two decades. A Chinese worker was injured on Friday.

Abu Jabbeh leaves a widow and six children, the youngest of them 1 year old.

* No photographs are publicly available of Mervat Khaswan, Leila Al-Bahtini, or Wafaa Ghannam.

Nadeen Alshaer contributed additional reporting to this article.