At dawn on 18 March 2025, at least three civilians were killed and dozens injured when the Israeli military allegedly carried out an airstrike on the home of the Masmeh family to the west of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. Four male members of the Masmeh family were reportedly killed, all of whom were members of Hamas’ militant wing, Al-Qassam Brigades. Two female members of the family were killed, as was a female neighbour from the Masoud family.

Ahmed Khaled Masmeh, Ezz el-Din Khaled Masmeh, Osama Khlaed Masmeh, and Abdullah Khaled Masmeh. A Facebook reel shared by Osama Masmeh indicated that the four were all members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigade.

The brothers’ mother, Hiba Masmeh (Umm Ahmed), was reportedly injured in the attack. Two other members of the Masmeh family were also killed, a 23-year-old woman named Ghada Ahmed Masmeh and a nine-year-old girl Maryam Abdullah Masmeh. Another named victim of this incident was Umm Ahmed Masoud, a neighbour of the Masmeh family.

Safa news reported airstrikes on multiple homes in the Deir al-Balah area, including the home of the Masmeh family. According to Usama Alkahloot on Facebook, the bombing occurred at dawn, with three missiles hitting the home. Usama said that all the windows in the neighbourhood shattered and people were missing under the rubble. He added that his wife was martyred, as were four ‘sons’ (ولاد) next door. Echoes of Maghazi Camp, via Facebook, and many other sources reported the seven named victims of the attack.

Family and friends posted in mourning for the Masmeh family, with Wasem A Kuraz calling Ahmed a dear and beloved friend in a Facebook post mourning his death. Abu Ahmed Masoud, husband of Umm Ahmed Masoud killed in the attack, was seen in a video shared by Usama Alkahloot, describing the incident and the death of his wife and neighbours. Ali Tannir, via Facebook, posted condolences to his sister, Iman, the mother of Maryam, for the passing of her daughter and his niece.

Najwa Ahmad Abu Samra, a colleague of Hiba Masmeh, reported her injury and shared a message of condolence for the loss of her four sons in the airstrike. Najwa shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp message sent to Hiba on behalf of her workplace, the Educational Guidance Department. The message sent Hiba well wishes to recover soon from her injuries as a result of the airstrike, and named the members of her family who had been killed in the attack and sent prayers on their behalf.

Many sources reported that people were stuck under the rubble as a result of the airstrike, while Waleed abu mashaiekh, on Facebook, specifically reported that dozens were injured in the attack.

All full names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released eight lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, the name was matched to the eighth “Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza”, which was released on March 24, 2025.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli Military.