On July 15th, 2024, shortly before 5:05 PM, an alleged Israeli airstrike on Mohammed Salem Salama’s house in the al-Maghazi refugee camp killed him alongside his wife Iman Salama and their three daughters Maryam Salama, Banan Salama, and Afnan Salama. Jihad Rakha, a friend of the Salama family, and Sherifa Ismail Saidam, a neighbour of the Salama family, were also killed. The exact ages of Jihad Rakha and Sherifa Ismail Saidam were not available in the sources available to Airwars, but obituaries from their families indicate that they were adults. Sami Abu Salem, a cousin of Mohammed Salem Salama, wrote that Mohammed Salem Salama was 35 and Iman Sulama was 34 at the time of their death. Afnan was 12 years old, Banan was 10 years old, and Maryam was only 6 years old.

Walhihad Abu Mashhayekha posted on Facebook that those injured or killed were brought to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Mohammed Salem Salama died from injuries incurred in the alleged strike, after arriving at the hospital at 6:10 PM. According to a Facebook post by his brother Mahmoud Salama, Mohammed Salem Salama was conscious but “suffering and in pain because of his injury.”

Aware that his wife and daughters had already died, Mohammed told his brother of his wishes for burial arrangements for his family and himself, requesting they all be buried in the same grave. In a Facebook post, Mahmoud Salama described holding his brother’s hand in his last moments, and attempting to ease his pain in the hospital. Mahmoud wrote that he would “never forget [Mohammed’s] words to me and my brothers, as Mohammad had told them, “I believe that if I am martyred now, God will admit me to heaven.” It was enough for the brothers, Mahmoud wrote, that Mohammed was “patient and content…”

Mahmoud continued:

“What saddens me is not your martyrdom but your separation and not seeing you after this moment, and not hearing your recitation and recitation of the Quran, and not talking to you, engaging in conversations with you, sitting with you, and joking with you”. After his brother’s death, Mahmoud Salama wrote, “May you be blessed in life and death, Abu Salem. My brother, my rock, you were my life.”

Mohammad Salem Salama was the son of Salem Salama, a Legislative Council representative in the Gaza Strip. He was a scholar and expert in Islamic jurisprudence, and had memorised the Quran, an accomplishment that is deeply respected by many in the community. Ahmed Salama, Mohammed’s brother, paid tribute to Mohammed’s “melodious voice” and dedication to his faith, writing in a Facebook post, “The pre-dawn hours and the dawn prayers will bear witness to your call to prayer and your distinctive voice.” His brother Mahmoud Salama wrote on Facebook that his brother often led faith seminars and councils on jurisprudence, and posted a photo of him leading his last session before the war. The photo shows him speaking passionately to a room full of “tribal chiefs” or community leaders. Another photo posted by his brother shows him smiling in his thobe as he speaks to a friend on the street.

Mahmoud Salama wrote of his sister-in-law Iman Salama, “you were a sister to us with your kindness, good manners, and tenderness.” In a Facebook post, he commemorated Iman’s religious dedication: “We bear witness that you are one of the righteous who raised her daughters to memorize the Quran.” Naela Mohanna, Iman Salama’s mother, wrote on Facebook to “announce the martyrdom” of her brother-in-law’s daughter, Iman, and Iman’s three daughters, and prayed that they would join “the procession of martyrs.”

Mahmoud Salama, the girls’ uncle, wrote out his nicknames for his nieces. Afnan, twelve years old, was his “little pepper, the delight of my heart,” Banan, ten years old, was his “bestie, the light of my life,” and Maryam, six years old, was “my angel close to my heart, who I loved as if she were my own child,” He posted photos of the girls sitting together laughing, and one of Maryam smiling in a blue dress. Two photos he posted, taken in April of 2024, show Afnan and Banan posing in matching pink blazers outside; rubble and a destroyed building is visible behind Banan. The girls’ grandmother, Naela Mohanna, put broken heart emojis after each of her grandchildren’s names in the obituary she posted to Facebook. A final photograph shows a deceased Afnan, her curled body covered by towel; her arm, the only visible part of her body, is encrusted with blood.

Osama Rakha, a cousin of Jihad Rakha, wrote, “The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, and we are saddened by your departure.” In a video posted to his Facebook page, he showed a procession of men carrying Jihad Rakha’s body and burying him. Osama remembered his cousin’s “pure heart” and “bright smile.” After, Osama wished for Allah to have mercy on Jihad and grant him a place in heaven, and said, “Let Allah bear witness that you fulfilled the duties that were entrusted to you and were among the righteous.” At the end of his obituary Osama wrote, “Even if we had not met in this world and I had not bid you farewell, we still would have met through Allah.”

Om Mosab Saidam, the son of Sherifa Ismail Saidam, wrote, “I mourn my beloved mother, the light of my life and the joy of my heart.” In an anguished obituary to his Facebook page, Om Mosab wrote, “I did not expect, joy of my heart, that you would leave so quickly, and I did not see you and kiss your face… the candle of our house has gone, oh mother, and by God, it is still early. Oh mother, we still need you.” He posted a photo of Sherifa standing serenely in front of a window, wearing a yellow hijab.

Mohammed Alawour, Sherifa’s nephew, wrote, “This woman is like a mother to me. I grew up in her house, and she considered me one of her sons…” At the end of his Facebook post mourning the loss of his beloved aunt, Mohammed Alawour wrote, “We need generations to mourn our dead.”

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

Airwars was able to reconcile the Maryam, Binan, and Afnan with the Ministry of Health (MoH) list which was shared by the MoH on September 15, 2024. While Maryam, Binan, and Afnan’s names were listed in their entirety, the birthday information does not align with the ages referred to by sources. Given the fact that the first, patronymic, and family names all matched matched, Airwars considers these three matches to be full matches, and is considering the possibility that the ages/birthdays shared by the MoH may be incorrect.

The local time of the incident is unknown.