Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At 4:50 PM on Monday, June 24, 2024, an alleged Israeli airstrike struck a group of civilians in the vicinity of the Bani Suhaila roundabout east of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, reportedly killing at least nine civilians, including personnel providing aid and two children. A further 12 civilians were reported injured. According to Al-Jazeera and other sources, civilians were killed while preparing to have their lunch.
Among the identified fatalities were Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim Abu Khater (a child), Bilal Adel Fayez Abu Jama, Yahya Jalal Asfour, Anas Salah Arafat Abu Asi, Anas Jawdat Muhammad Abu Taym, Ismail Ibrahim Musa Arafat, Muhammad Omar Abdullah Hijazi, Kaid Kamel Awad Abu Daqqa, and Yazan Suhail Hamdan Abu Shab (a child).
According to Mohamed Awad, the airstrike occurred around 4:50 PM, with an initial report of eight casualties. AsharqNewsPAL cited a medical source stating that the attack killed eight individuals, including aid personnel. However, Eslayeh later updated the toll to ten.
The Palestinian Refugee Portal reported that 22 civilians were injured, but sources did not provide more information on their identities.
Reports also varied about the attack. Voice of Palestine Radio and PalpostN described the incident as an Israeli airstrike on a gathering of civilians, while Osama Khalel El Farra suggested that a police unit securing the area from thieves was hit, while also reporting on 12 people killed. Alqahera News further reported that the victims included personnel securing aid deliveries.
Several victims of the airstrike were identified and mourned by their families and community members. Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim Abu Khater, a child, was confirmed dead by the Abu Khater Family Gathering and Mohammed A. Khater. Saber Abu Lahia offered condolences to his father, Eng. Khalil Abu Khater, asking for strength and patience for the family.
36-year-old Bilal Adel Fayez Abu Jama (Abu Adel) was mourned by his cousin Salman Baraka, who described him as “beloved and dear” and mentioned that he was killed while securing aid at Bani Suhaila roundabout. He shared the image of Bilal, a young man with short dark hair wearing a green shirt and a black jacket. Bilal was also mourned by his brother Mohammad Abu Adel, who wrote, “My brother Bilal Adel Abu Jamea (Abu Adel) was martyred. May God have mercy on him and accept you.”
30-year-old Anas Salah Arafat Abu Asi was identified by his uncle Mohd F. Abu Assi and cousin Abu Obeir Abu Asi, who wrote a tribute saying, “We offer our condolences for the martyrdom of my cousin Anas Salah Arafat Abu Asi. May God have mercy on him.” Mohd Abu Assi added an image of the young man with a short haircut, wearing glasses and dressed in a checkered T-shirt while sitting alongside other men in a room.
Similarly, 30-year-old Anas Jawdat Muhammad Abu Taym was mourned by his cousin Abdullah Abu Taim and nephew Ahmed Abu Ali, who referred to him as his “second father.” In one of the images shared on social media, Anas is seen as a slender young man with dark hair and beard dressed in a white shirt and black trousers.
34-year-old Yahya Jalal Mahmoud Asfour (Abu Abdullah) was remembered in multiple posts by Abo Omar, Hamooda Asfour, and Salah Asfour, who described him as a “noble cousin.” He was a young man with short dark hair, large brown eyes, and a trimmed dark beard dressed in a grey sports suit.
The death of the 29-year-old Ismail Ibrahim Musa Arafat was grieved by his brother, Mohamed Arfat, his uncle, Abu Anas Arafat, and his nephew, Mohammed Shahin. In an image posted by Abu Anas Arafat, Ismail is seen as a young man smiling while standing on a seashore. He is wearing a brown sports suit with the “North Face” inscription.
Other victims were also commemorated in social media posts. 32-year-old Muhammad Omar Abdullah Hijazi was mourned by his uncle Morad Algara and his aunt Um Raed, who called him “a beloved nephew” and described his passing as part of “the constellation of Gaza.” In one of the images, the late Muhammad is seen as a young man with short dark hair, a clean-shaven, elongated face, thick eyebrows, and hazel eyes, wearing a black T-shirt and a brown vest.
53-year-old Kayed Kamel Awad Abu Daqqa was mourned by his nephew Mohammad Abu Dagga, who wrote, “With hearts that believe in Allah’s will and destiny.. and with great sadness and sorrow.. We mourn the martyrdom of my uncle Kayed Abu Daqqa.” He added an image of his late uncle where he is seen as a middle–aged man with a bald head, a round face, dressed in a black T-shirt with green and white stripes, sitting on a chair.
12-year-old Yazan Suhail Hamdan Abu Shab, another young victim, was mentioned by Alshrqea, who shared an image of Yazan smiling and wearing a three-piece suit with a bow tie. Shaml shared a post acknowledging his passing.
Several accounts, including Islam Abed and Ahmad Alnajjar, shared images of the victims.
Alqahera News reported on the incident through its television broadcast, which was later shared on Facebook. Meanwhile, AFYemeni posted a series of images on X showing mourners gathered around the bodies of some of the victims.
Facebook account Eslayeh posted a video showing an older woman dressed in black and surrounded by children who were bidding farewell to the body of young Muhammad Abu Khater, chanting Islamic prayers.
The video by Al Jazeera, filmed by its reporter Rami Abu Taima from the place of the incident, showed a big crowd of people who came there, blood spilled on rubble, chunks of concrete and walls, and the shoes of the victims. It was said that the victims were hungry and were preparing to have lunch. The reporter interviewed a witness who said, “Young people were working to secure the aid. These were hungry people who died, people waiting to eat.” The video further showed emotional scenes of Palestinians bidding farewell to their killed relatives and friends, crying over their dead bodies, among them the body of a child Muhammad Abu Khater.
Twitter/X user @PalinfoAr also added a video showing the aftermath of the deadly strike, snacks that were still remaining there, and traces of blood on the rubble and walls. The comment to the post read, “Last meal” for the martyrs killed in the occupation forces’ bombing of the Bani Suhaila roundabout east of Khan Younis this afternoon.”
Another video that was posted by Twitter/X user @PalpostN and widely circulated on social media showed the painful scenes following the tragic events – two loudly screaming women running after a group of men transporting a dead body, following by even more obscure scenes of a group of women lamenting over a body in a white shroud, and then a group of men and a woman was carrying the shroud across the street, chanting Allah names. At the end of the video, a woman was shown carrying the clothes of the victim, his green trousers with fresh blood stains.
Where possible, 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 17, 2024. Airwars matches individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the fifth “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on July 24, 2024.
The ages of some victims were ascertained with the help of Shireen Monitor, an organisation which has a list of “Martyrs of Palestine” from 2023 onward and includes thousands of names.
All sources that attributed responsibility for the airstrike identified Israeli forces as responsible.
The incident occured at 16:50:00 local time.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a strike in the vicinity of the Bani Suheila roundabout (دوار بني سهيلا) in Khan Younis (خان يونس). Analysing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to the following exact coordinates: 31.344581, 34.314329.
Summary
Sources (57) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (55) [ collapse]
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Source: Mohd F. Abu Assi -
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Source: Ameer.alhabe -
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Source: AsharqNewsPAL -
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Source: Islam Abed -
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Source: Islam Abed -
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Source: Islam Abed -
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Source: Islam Abed -
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Source: Salman Baraka -
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Source: Abu Obeir Abu Asi -
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Source: Arafat Assi -
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Source: Yahya Asfour -
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Source: Alsharqiapulse -
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Source: Hamooda.asfour -
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Source: Salah.asfour -
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Source: Fares Abu Jame`a -
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Source: Mohammad Abu Adel -
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Source: Khaled Qudieh -
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Source: Abdullah Abu Taim -
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Source: Ahmed Abu Ali -
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Source: Ahmed Abu Ali -
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Source: Al-Raqab family gathering -
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Source: Alshrqea.shaml -
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Source: Mohammed N Abu Dagga -
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Source: Mohammad Alahlawi -
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Source: Morad Algara -
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Source: Um Raed -
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Source: Mohamed Arfat -
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Source: Mohammed Shahin -
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Source: Abu Anas Arafat -
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Source: Abu Khater family gathering in the homeland and diaspora -
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Source: Mohammed A Khater -
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Source: Saber Abu Lahia -
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Source: @AFYemeni -
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Source: @AFYemeni -
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Source: @AFYemeni -
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Source: Ahmad Alnajjar -
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Source: Ahmad Alnajjar -
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Source: Ahmad Alnajjar -
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Source: Ahmad Alnajjar -
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Source: Ahmad Alnajjar -
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