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Airwars Assessment
On 23rd March, 2025, an alleged Israeli airstrike struck the Ashour family home, killing at least nine civilians and injuring at least two others. Airwars was able to identify the names of seven of those killed and two injured. All nine identified civilians who were harmed belonged to the extended Ashour family, and among the killed were three women and two children. The strike occurred in the Miraj area of Rafah, east of Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip. Two other individuals were identified as killed and have been recorded as a militant.
At 3:55 PM, Said Kama Qudaih posted to Facebook writing: that an Israeli airstrike had targeted the Miraj area between Rafah and Khan Younis, and specifically the Ashour family home. Said wrote that an ambulance was needed. Said followed up on the post 55 minutes later, announcing “Seven martyrs from “Ashour” family, and eighth from “Al-Amur” family.”
Of the members of the Ashour family who were killed, were the family unit of: 43-year-old Mohamed Saadallah Ayesh Ashour (Hamouda Abu Saadallah), his wife Rana’ta Arwaie Ashour, and their six children: 8-year-old Farida Mohamed Saadallah Ashour, 18-year-old Adel Mohamed Saadallah Ashour, 15-year-old Akram Mohamed Saadallah Ashour, 21-year-old Saadallah Mohamed Saadallah Ashour, 19-year-old Sondos Mohamed Saadallah Ashour, and 16-year-old Istabraq Mohamed Saadallah Ashour.
An elderly couple, perhaps great aunt and uncle to Mohamed Saadallah – Abu Mahmoud Ashour and Um Mahmoud Ashour – were injured.
Rana’ta’s cousin 47-year-old Antar Jihad Deeb Ashour was also killed and was a militant.
Said Kamal Qudaih, posting to Facebook, wrote “Seven martyrs from the Ashour family, and an eighth from the Al-Amur family.” The individual from the Al-Amur family appears to be Mohammed Hassan Ayesh al-Amur (Abu Uday) perhaps another cousin of Mohamed Saadallah – given the shared ‘Ayesh’ / ‘عايش’. Due to Said’s post, the deaths of Mohammed and the nine members of the Ashour family have been recorded together. This will be updated should additional information become available.
Mohammed was reportedly the aide and bodyguard to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed on October 16, 2024. In an Facebook post shared by Mohamed Mabchour, among many others, the Mohamned and Sinwar are pictured moving through a crowd, with Mohammed dressed in a black shirt and black cap.
When Airwars first published this incident on December 29, 2025, no open sources were found to suggest that Mohammed Hassan Ayesh al-Amur (Abu Uday) was definitively a militant, or that 47-year-old Antar Jihad Deeb Ashour, Rana’ta’s cousin, was a militant. As such, Airwars noted Mohammed al-Amur’s role as a bodyguard, noting that his status would be changed from civilian to militant should additional information become available. Antar Ashour was recorded as a civilian.
This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status‘. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.
On June 1, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Mohammed al-Amur, identifying him as a “commander”. As such, Airwars updated Mohammed al-Amur’s status from civilian to militant.
On May 4, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Antar Jihad Deeb Ashour, identifying him as a “commander”. As such, Airwars updated Antar Jihad Deeb Ashour status from civilian to militant. In changing the civilian status of the two men, Airwars adjusted the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident, changing the minimum from ten to eight.
A Facebook account called ‘The brave men of the Al-Amur clan’ posted to announce Mohammed Hassan’s death writing “The martyrdom of Mohammed Hassan Ayesh Al-Amur as a result of an Israeli airstrike north of Rafah at dawn today.”
A video shared by Roya News on Facebook and Quds News Network on Twitter/X shows many men gathered at Mohammed Hassan’s funeral, paying their respects. In the video, Mohammed Hassan’s body – shrouded in white – lays on a stretcher in what appears to be a medical complex’s courtyard or outer garden. A group of men stand behind him and pray. Most all of them are dressed for the fall, wearing light jackets, sweaters, and hats.
Mohamed Saadallah and Rana’ta’s family
The site ‘Genocide in Gaza’ (gigaza) reported on the deaths of the Ashour family members, noting that “Israeli occupation aircraft targeted [the Ashour] home in Miraj area of Khan Younis governorate. The posts added that the residence was housing displaced persons at the time of the attack, and that no prior warnings were given.
Imad Talat Jarghoun posted to Facebook, writing: “We were shocked by the news of the massacre of my neighbors and relatives, the Ashour family.”
Many family members posted to social media to honour and remember their loved ones who were killed in the strike. Rana’tta’s sister Umm Basil Ashour posted to Facebook in the hours after the strike, writing “The loss is not great. My sister, the joy of my heart, and her husband and children are martyrs, God willing.” Um Basil named Rana’ata, Saadallah, Adel, Akram, Sondos, Istabraq, Farida, and Antar among the “martyrs.”
Abdullah K Hamdan also posted to Facebook to honor members of the Ashour family, “his wife’s cousins.” In his post, Abdullah offered condolences to “the martyrs of Al-Nasr neighbourhood,” specifically, Istabraq, Mohammed Saadallah, Sondos, Saadallah, Akram, Antar, Adel, and Mohammed Hassan. He also offered healing wishes for his “wife’s mother and father, Abu Mahmoud Ashour” who were injured.
Naeem Ashour shared a similar post in honour of his nephew Mohammed Saadallah, Rana’ta, their children, andhis cousin Antar. Naeem said that the family members were “martyred” as a result of their home being targeted. Naeem’s post included images of four male members of the Ashour family, all of whom are pictured smiling toward the camera. Mohamed Khaled Ashour, Mohammed Saadallah’s cousin, shared the same collaged image, as did Facebook user Eng-AbdulMalik Rifaat.
Nadya Ashour also posted to Facebook to remember her family members, and included a different collaged image. Nadya’s post shows a young girl in a school graduation cap and gown, a young boy in a blue jacket and quafed hair, a teenage boy in a tan hoodie, another teenage boy or young man in an orange hoodie with the words ‘Genius’ spelled out using elements from the periodic table, and a man – likely in his forties – wearing a grey striped polo shirt and leaning casually against a motorbike.
Ali Ashour Abu Ramzi shared a video from the family’s funeral. In the video, nine bodies, shrouded in white, are laid on the ground side-by-side. The family member’s name is written in blue marker on each of the shrouds. It’s unclear whether the funeral was held in the same yard as Mohammed. Given that Mohammed’s funeral was held separately from the Ashour family’s, Airwars has not recorded him as a member of the Ashour family unit. This will be updated should additional information become available.
Location of the strike
In reporting the strike, sources shared slightly variable accounts regarding the exact location of the strike. A post shared from the Facebook account ‘The brave men of the Al-Amur clan’ said that the incident occurred ‘north of Rafah’; while an initial post, shared by Twitter/X account @Sa7atPlBreaking said that “an Israeli bombing” had “targeted a house at the Miraj Junction, southeast of Khan Younis.” Reports shared by the site Genocide in Gaza (gigaza) echoed the same. Facebook account Saint Petersburg News said that Mohammed Hassan was killed in a bombing in “the Al-Nasr area of Rafah” and a cousin of Rana’ta, Abdullah K Hamdan, referred to the members of the Ashour family who were killed as “Martyrs of Al-Nasr neighborhood.” As the Miraj Junction is north of generally Rafah – as well as the Nasr area – and southeast of Khan Younis, Airwars has recorded the location of Ashour home, and as a result this incident, as in the Miraj area of Khan Younis, as described by @Sa7atPlBreaking and gigaza. This will be updated should additional information become available.
Ministry of Health (MoH) List
The names of Mohammed Hassan, Mohamed Saadallah, Farida, Adel, Akram, Saadallah Mohamed, Sondos Mohamed, Istabraq Mohamed, and Antar were all matched to entries on 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, Mohammed’s name is matched to the ninth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 23, 2025.
Attribution
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to the Israeli military.
Assessment Updates
Victims
Family members (9)
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the Miraj area, for which the generic coordinates are: 31.308093, 34.279614. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.