An alleged Israeli airstrike at dawn on March 18, 2025, struck multiple residential buildings in Khirbat al-Adas, a neighbourhood in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing 17 civilians, including at least 11 children and two women, and injuring at least three other women. Those identified as killed were members of the Abdel Aal family. Gigaza shared that the bombing hit without prior warning, and MasdrNews reported that the attacks caused extensive destruction and overwhelming emergency response efforts.

Among the deceased were Ahlam Riyad Abu Sabla (Abdel Aal), her children, and her relatives. According to multiple sources, Ahlam was killed alongside her sons, 15-year-old Yasser Saadi Abdel Aal, 12-year-old Mohamed Saadi Abdel Aal, 10-year-old Raed Saadi Abdel Aal, 4-year-old Omar Saadi Abdel Aal; and daughters Masa Saadi Abdel Aal, 18-year-old Shahad Saadi Abdel Aal, 16-year-old Taqwa Saadi Abdel Aal, 17-year-old Nour Saadi Abdel Aal, and Mira Saadi Abdel Aal.

Several other members of the Abdel Aal family were also killed in the same incident. 43-year-old Ismail Mahmoud Abdel Aal (uncle of Ahlam’s children) and his children, 10-year-old Malak Ismail Mahmoud Abdel Aal, 17-year-old Mujahed Ismail Mahmoud Abdel Aal, and eight-year-old Zayed Ismail Mahmoud Abdel Aal, were among the dead, as was Ismail’s brother 46-year-old Hussein Mahmoud Abdel Aal. A post by @Mohammed Mazen referred to Hussein and Ismail , speaking of them “with great pride and honor.” Atef Raafat also noted their loss: Two “beloved brothers,” their deaths had “broken our hearts.” Both were described by @Mohammed Mazen as having previously lost a brother, Zayed, to earlier conflict.

Additional victims included Maria Adham Mohamed Abdel Aal and her sister Masa Adham Mohamed Abdel Aal, ages 17 and 3, respectively. Their deaths were confirmed in posts by their father, @AdhamMohammad, who shared: “I wish I had known that life would end so soon, I would have dedicated all my time to you.” Maria and Masa’s grandmother (Um Adham), mother (Um Mohammed), and another relative (Um Albara’a) were reported injured in the same bombing, according to @Hashem_AbuMomen.Multiple social media accounts shared photos of the victims. In photographs shared by Gigaza, Maria can be seen in a cream-coloured hijab, while her younger sister Masa wears pink, small pink bobbles in her hair. 17-year-old Mujahid is photographed on the water – flashing a peace sign. In a photograph shared by Ahmad Alshaer, amongst others, Ismail Abdel Aal is photographed in a zip-up sweatshirt. His brother Hussein can be seen in another widely-shared photograph: also wearing a zippered jacket with a shirt.

Hashem Abu Momen, speaking to Maria and Masa’s father, offered “condolences” on the girls’ deaths, and wished “a speedy recovery” to Um Adham, Um Mohammed and Um Albara’a. Multiple posts shared prayers for the deceased: “And never think that those who were killed in the cause of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, and they are provided for.”

Social media posts from @MasdrNews and @alzawaida indicated that the strike impacted the homes of Saadi Abdel Aal, Ismail Abdel Aal, and Hussein Abdel Aal in the same neighbourhood in Khirbat al-Adas. These reports also noted that emergency response efforts were hindered by the limited access to nearby hospitals or functioning medical points. The deceased were brought to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.

Where possible, names have been matched with 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, names are matched to the eighth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on March 24, 2025. Additional ages of victims have been found by cross-checking names against lists of fatalities shared online by Genocide in Gaza, which has a list of “martyrs” of Israeli forces.

All reports identifying a belligerent attributed the attack to Israeli military aircraft.