Salem family airstrikes (December 19, 2023)

Salem family airstrikes
Part of the Gaza war and genocide
Al-Rimal Location within the Gaza Strip
Location	Rimal, Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Date	19 December 2023 [1]
Attack type	Airstrike
Deaths	270+ [2]
Perpetrators	Israel Defense Forces

From 11 to 19 December 2023, four Israeli airstrikes shortly after midnight in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City killed over 170 civilians, many of them from Salem family. ^{[3] [4]} Many of the victims had evacuated their homes in Northern Gaza, and were sheltering in Central Gaza. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Airstrike and Casualties

According the Mohammed Salem, who witnessed four airstrikes directly hit the shelter on a building across the street from the villa, the villa collapsed and bodies were flung outside. After daybreak, he said that he and a cousin watched Israeli tanks roll over bodies half-buried in debris. He told the Associated Press that, of the more than 200 Salem family members sheltering in the structure, only 10 are still alive. ^{[8] [9]} The attack killed over 50 children, burying them under the rubble.

Sabreen Salem, who survived the attacks, alleged that Israeli tanks ran over victims when they were still alive, and said "there were women who were pregnant, and they took out the fetuses out of their stomachs." ^{[10] [ unreliable source? ]} According to her testimony, there were 135 Palestinians sheltering in the house, and 12 survived the attack.

Reactions

Those killed were relatives of Palestinian freelance photojournalist Hussam Salem, living in Istanbul, who shared memories of his family to social media. ^[11] He said that four generations of the Salem family hd been wiped from the Gaza Civil Registry in the attacks. ^[12]

References

1. "Zionist Massacres - The Salem family". pal48.ps. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
2. "The war in Gaza has wiped out entire Palestinian families. AP documents 60 who lost dozens or more". Associated Press . 17 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
3. "The war in Gaza is wiping out entire Palestinian families. This is how". TRT Global . Retrieved 6 June 2025.
4. Sarah El Deeb (16 June 2024). "Takeaways from the AP investigation into the Palestinian families being decimated in Gaza". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
5. ""طوفان الأقصى" في يومها ال75.. الاحتلال يسعى لعمل غزة اثرية ويواصل عدوانه بعنف على القطاع - وكالة وطن للأنباء". wattan (in Arabic). 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
6. Sneineh, Mustafa Abu (12 December 2023). "'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood' Day 67: Israeli forces storm Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia". Mondoweiss. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
7. "مجزرة جديدة في حي الشيخ رضوان في غزة بعد استهداف مربع سكني كامل". عربي21 (in Arabic). 11 December 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
8. El Deeb, Sarah (17 June 2024). "The war in Gaza has wiped out entire Palestinian families. AP documents 60 who lost dozens or more". AP News . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
9. "Investigating Gaza: How the Associated Press Documented the Families Devastated by War". gijn.org. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
10. Middle East Eye (9 January 2024). Survivor of the Salem family massacre in Gaza recalls what happened when bombed by Israeli forces . Retrieved 30 March 2025– via YouTube.
11. "Entire Families Were Crushed in Gaza by Israeli Airstrikes. Not Even …". archive.ph. 5 December 2024. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
12. Sheren Farah Saab (5 December 2024). "Entire Families Were Crushed in Gaza by Israeli Airstrikes. Not Even Memories Remain". Haaretz . Retrieved 6 June 2025.