On June 7, 2025, up to three municipal workers were killed and several others were injured when an alleged Israeli airstrike hit a tractor towing water in Block 9 of the Al-Bureji Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip. Local sources identified two of those killed as 50-year-old Wael al-Nabahin and Nimer Ismail al-Dabbaki.

Safa News reported at 10 am that “martyrs and wounded” had resulted from an Israeli attack on a vehicle, and later updated their reporting to specify that two had been killed. Sources such as @qudsn and @shaabradio reported that three had been killed in the bombing.

According to sources, the men were busy working as a sanitation crew delivering water to residents of Block 9 in Al-Bureij Municipality when the strike occurred. In the posts, they were remembered as heroes for their national, humanitarian, and service duties in delivering sanitation resources to the community. One of the posts included a picture of the men at work, showing them with their tractor and water bowser in tow as they worked to provide services to residents in the camp.

In the aftermath of the incident, an outpouring of grief filled social media as friends and relatives mourned the victims and prayed for the recovery of the injured. Among the tributes, Khaled, a friend of Wael and Nimer, reflected on the times he had shared with them, expressing hope that they would be received as “martyrs” in heaven. Another message sought solace in faith, noting that the men were now in the care of “the Most Gracious,” and that their loved ones would, in time, be reunited with them in Paradise. Many of the posts included the Quranic verse often recited in moments of loss: “Indeed, we belong to God, and indeed to Him we will return.”

A particularly distressing video was also circulated online, capturing the moment one of the victims’ sons bid farewell to his father. Through tears, the young man was heard crying, “My dad is gone, my God!”

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