An afternoon drone airstrike targeted a group of people near Abu Salim Mosque in Deir al-Balah, killing at least three people. Footage of the massacre scene includes traces of the impact of a drone-launched ordnance. The following day, the Muezzin of the mosque and Quran Hafiz, Muhammad Hassan Hanideq, succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll to four.

Around 4 pm, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Sainfat al-Khair warehouse in Deir al-Balah, killing and injuring at least a dozen people. Eye witnesses reported that the massacre was carried out with a drone airstrike. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Sanad Ahmad Kamal Shaheen (26 y/o) 2. Fares Mahmoum Al-Ashram (27 y/o) 3. Youssef Barakat Abu Mandil (19 y/o) 4. Sameh Khaled Abu Miri (35 y/o) 5. Amin Hilmi Abu Amra 6. Bilal Nabil Bashir 7. Sobhi Iyad Bakhit 8. Majdoleen Abdulkarim Abu Samak (47 y/o)

Around 3:15 pm, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Abu Libda family house in Deir al-Balah, killing nine members of the family. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Muhammad Ayesh Abu Libda (38 y/o, professional football goalkeeper) 2. Ahmad Ayesh Abu Libda (33 y/o, Muhammad's brother) 3. Shaimaa Ayesh Abu Libda (30 y/o, Muhammad's sister) 4. Muhammad Jihad Al-Sharif (3 y/o, Shaimaa's son) 5. Safaa Fouad Abu Libda (35 y/o) 6. Ayesh Muhammad Abu Libda (10 y/o, Muhammad's son) 7. Ahmad Muhammad Abu Libda (12 y/o, Muhammad's son) 8. Qusay Muhammad Abu Libda (one week old baby, Muhammad's son) 9. Siwar Muhammad Abu Libda (4 y/o, Muhammad's daughter)

At midday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a civilian car near Al-Fukhari School in Al-Fukhari town, east of Khan Yunis, killing a grandfather and his three grandsons. The grandfather, Atwa Abdullah Al-Ammour was a previous captive in Israeli prisons. Around two hours later, the Israeli army bombed the house of Atwa destroying it completely. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Atwa Abdullah Al-Ammour (grandfather) 2. Mohammad Abdullah Atwa Al-Ammour (grandson) 3. Rafiq Abdullah Atwa Al-Ammour (grandson) 4. Kinan Abdullah Atwa Al-Ammour (grandson) 5. Atwa Abdullah Al-Ammour (grandson, succumbed to injuries on the next day)

**Context:** On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Tzeela Gez, a 37-year-old Israeli woman who was nine months pregnant, was fatally shot near the Brukhin settlement in the occupied West Bank while en route to the hospital with her husband. Doctors were able to deliver her baby via caesarean section; the newborn is reported to be in serious but stable condition. The incident has intensified tensions in the region, with concerns over potential retaliatory actions and further violence. Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility **IDF Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir statement** “We will use all the tools at our disposal and reach the murderers in order to hold them accountable,” **IDF response to the attack** The Israeli military launched a manhunt for the assailant(s), conducting raids and sealing nearby Palestinian villages, in a collective punishment operation: The army imposed a curfew on the residents of the entire Salfit area. Checkpoints were set up, it is forbidden to leave the houses, to go to work, to go to the doctor or to buy food. Soldiers entered many houses and caused extensive damage to property. At the same time, while the Palestinians are locked in their homes, the soldiers accompany the settlers who invade villages throughout the West Bank, with the aim of causing damage and revenge. During these operations, several Palestinians were apprehended. ### In Burqin On May 16, for the third consecutive day, Bruqin faced a massive incursion by the Israeli army, which occupied four buildings and converted them into military barracks. The same day, Nael Sami Abdel Rahman Samara was killed after being shot by occupation soldiers during their raid on the town of Burqin, west of Salfit. He was allegedly approaching Israeli soldiers with a potentially booby-trapped backpack, was shot and killed by the military. His body has been detained by Israeli troops. Israeli army brought 13 bulldozers to the town on Thursday morning and was continuing to level open areas adjacent to homes, claiming they were being converted into military zones The bulldozing operations have so far covered 264 dunams (26.4 hectares), Israeli settlers attacked homes, smashing windows and torching a bulldozer belonging to one of the residents. "More than 2,000 settlers gathered on the lands bulldozed by the Israeli army, setting fires and burning the Palestinian flag amid racist chants. They remained gathered until 3am [12am GMT] on Friday, and we expect them to intensify their attacks in the coming days," he said. The town remains under siege after its four entrances were closed, with barriers erected since Wednesday evening. "With great difficulty, we were able to bring in 500kg of bread for the residents this morning," said Sabra. "Two patients needed to be taken to the hospital yesterday, and ambulances were delayed for hours before they were allowed to be transported out of the town." ### In Kafr Al-Dik - The neighbouring town of Kafr al-Dik also saw similar raids and arrests. Soldiers also turned several homes into interrogation centres, while property was deliberately vandalised. - On May 16, 2025, Israeli soldiers detained a young man, his wife, and their daughter and abuse them in the street. - A soldier removed the Palestinian flag from the school gate. - Israeli soldiers stormed the Kafr al-Dik Mosque and forced the muezzin to call for a curfew at gunpoint

Around 7:40 pm, an Israeli airstrike targeted the displacement tent of Al-Hams family in Al-Tabariya area of Mawasi Khan Younis, killing a man and his wife. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Muhammad Khaled Al-Hams (32 y/o) 2. Basant Naji Al-Hams (28 y/o)

Members of the IDF's undercover Duvdevan Unit killed five and arrested one terrorist in Tammun as part of the hunt for the terrorist responsible for killing Tzeela Gez who was on her way to deliver her baby. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, said the five Palestinians were members of its “Tubas Battalion”, On May 16, 2025, in Tammun, south of Tubas, northeastern West Bank, Israeli forces killed five Palestinian men during a raid on a residential building. Israeli Special Forces entered Tammun and besieged a three-story residential building. Clashes erupted between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters inside the building. Significant destruction was caused to a home besieged by Israeli occupation forces in Tamoun town, where five Palestinian freedom fighters were killed inside. Israeli army used: - Energa anti-tank grenades - Heavy gunfire - Bulldozers to demolish parts of the building. **Names of the martyrs:** - Wadea’ Eyad Ahmad Bani Odeh (19) - Ibrahim Yassin Ahmad Bani Odeh (24) - Rida Kamal Mahmoud Bani Odeh (22) - Islam Azmi Hussein Bani Odeh (22) - Saher Nabil Bisharat (23) Four bodies were taken by Israeli forces. One body, severely burned and mutilated, was recovered later from rubble. The Tammun village buried the body of Saher Bisharat in his final resting place in Tammun. The funeral procession set off from Tubas Turkish Government Hospital towards the town of Tamoun, where mourners bid farewell to the martyr's body. The funeral prayer was performed and he was then buried in the town's cemetery.   *Funeral of martyr Saher Nabil Basharat in the town of Tamoun, south of Tubas (Anadolu Agency)* All five were reportedly affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad) **Statements :** *Al-Quds Brigades*: Claimed the men were fighters; stated Israeli soldiers were injured in clashes. *The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine* mourns to the masses of our people the martyrs of the Al-Quds Brigades, the heroic leaders: Saher Bisharat, Reda Bani Odeh, Ibrahim Bani Odeh, Wadih Bani Odeh, and Islam Bani Odeh, who ascended today in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas, after a heroic clash with the Zionist occupation forces that besieged them and demanded their surrender. They chose the path of martyrs and free resistance fighters. *Hamas*: Mourned the dead and called for increased resistance against Israeli forces and settlers.

At 3 am, an Israeli drone airstrike **directly targeted the burns department at Nasser Medical Complex** in Khan Younis, **murdering journalist Hassan Eslayeh "Abu Al-Abd"** who was on Israel's kill list and was recovering from injuries sustained in the massacre of journalists on April 7, 2025 in the same location. The strike also caused extansive damage in the hospital department. Fragments found in the aftermath included the remnants of two engines, indicating at least two different munitions. Press sources reported that a suicide drone was used to kill Hassan. Hassan Eslayeh was a **crucial source of documentation** of Israeli war crimes, massacres, aftermaths of ground invasions, forced displacement, and living conditions in the **Khan Younis governorate**, espeically during the genocide. Moreover, he consistently helped desperate Palestinian families share appeals for help, particularly those suffering from life-threatening health conditions and needing urgent medical treatment. Israel had killed 7 of Hassan's relatives on the night of March 18, 2025, when it broke the ceasefire. His family **home was also completely destroyed** by Israeli strikes. On September 5, 2024, prominent **Israeli media** accounts on social media launched an **incitement campaign to murder Hassan** because he "documented the abduction of soldiers and bodies" on October 7, 2023. Hassan Eslayeh was regarded as a **highly trusted veteran journalist in Gaza** and a mentor to young journalists in Gaza; He had also provided financial assistance to the families of fellow journalists killed in the same assassination attempt that injured him. ### Tributes and eulogies: - **Omar Hamad, writer:** [eulogized](https://x.com/OmarHamadD/status/1922182167641133454) Hassan as follows: "*Since we were young, we grew up following one journalist—@hassaneslayeh. We wouldn’t believe any news unless it came from him. Hasan was honest and quick to report the truth.*" - **Saleh Al-Jafarawi, journalist:** "May Allah have mercy on you, Hassan, and accept you. By Allah, you fulfilled the trust and did not relent." - **Wael Halabi, journalist:** "It's time for the hero to rest. Colleague and friend Hassan Eslayeh has passed away, his lens ever present at the heart of the [Palestinian] cause. He was a witness to the massacres, and became a martyr at the hands of the killers. He documented the pain with light, so they struck with darkness. He wasn't carrying a weapon, just a camera... and that's why they killed him. May God have mercy on Hassan and all the truthful martyrs." - **Islam Bader, journalist:** "May Allah have mercy on you, Hassan. We were destined to lose you twice. No one spoke about you without mentioning your kindness and good manners. Man departs and his legacy remains. May Allah have mercy on the martyr journalist Hassan Eslayeh." - **Anas al-Sharif, journalist:** "Hassan was not just a journalist; he was the voice of the people and etched the image of their pain. We knew him through his lens, which never left the field. We knew him through his insistence on documenting massacres and exposing the crimes of the occupation. Even wounded, he never stopped fulfilling his mission. Today we bid you farewell, Hassan, but you will remain in us, in our memory, in every scene you documented, and in every scream you conveyed to the world. Goodbye, you who wrote the truth with your blood." - **Wissam Shabat, journalist:** 'Hassan wasn’t just a journalist. He was my teacher, the one who taught me the meaning of words and images, who planted in me the passion for journalism and the power of a free voice. He carried nothing but a camera and a pen, and his voice bore witness to the truth.' - **Abdelqader Sabbah, journalist:** "Hassan is gone, but he was not just a name on the list of martyrs. He was the eye of the people, the voice of the oppressed, and the lens of truth that never sleeps. He carried his camera into the heart of the fire, not fearing death, because he knew that conveying the truth in Gaza required indescribable courage. Hassan was more than a journalist... He had a living conscience, a heart always concerned about the people's issues, and a smile that never left him despite the blood and ashes. He walked the paths many fear, to show us what the war machine doesn't want us to see. Today... we lost Hassan, but we did not lose his message. We will remember him in every shot, in every report, in every cry for truth. Goodbye Hassan, sleep in peace, you who were a voice for the people and a shield for the truth. You will always be present in our hearts and in the memory of Palestinian journalism... a martyr of the word and a companion of the story." - **Abdallah Al-Attar, journalist:** "The shield of journalism had grown heavy on our chests for more than a year and a half, but the news of Hassan's martyrdom broke us... an unbearable, unbelievable, incomprehensible pain. Hassan wasn't just a colleague, he was a spirit walking among us, a rare, well-mannered, beloved, creative, and refined human being in every way. His loss is a hole in the heart that can't be mended, a void that can't be filled. Yes, you're gone, Hassan, but you're in us... in our memories, in our stances, in our laughter that's worn away by your absence. May God have mercy on you, hero of Palestine.' - **Mohamed Qriqea, journalist:** "Purity, integrity, honesty and generosity are the secret of people’s love for Hassan. Every person who surrounded himself with these qualities was Hassan. We learn from you, Hassan."

Around 6 pm, an Israeli airstrike targeted a displacement tent in Al-Masha'la area in central Gaza, killing four people. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Munir Muhammad Abu Gharab (48 y/o) 2. Yosri Atiya Muhammad Al-Masri (42 y/o, released from Israeli prison in 2023 after 20 years in captivity) 3. Sami Muhammad Abu Gharab (56 y/o) 4. Majed Saeed Al-Masri (48 y/o)

Around 6:30 pm, an Israeli airstrike targeted the New Gaza (Gaza Al-Jadida) school west of Gaza City, killing at least two people. According to journalist Ahmed Hamdan, one of the victims –Nidal Abu Amsha– was a phtographer who documented lfie in Gaza. **Names of the martyrs:** 1. Nidal Naeem Abu Amsha 2. Hamza Abu Harbid