On the morning of March 18, 2025, a declared Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killing the head of the Hamas government’s administrative body Esam al-Daalis and several members of his extended family. The airstrike resulted in the deaths of at least seven civilians, including two children and two women. Among those confirmed killed were Esam al-Daalis, his sons Youssef Esam al-Daalis and Moaz Esam al-Daalis, daughter Alaa Esam al-Daalis, Moaz’s wife Ayoun Sami Shahiin (al-Daalis), and Moaz and Ayoun’s children Esam Moaz al-Daalis and Hala Moaz al-Daalis.
On March 18, the Israel Defense Forces Telegram account shared a post announcing that Esam had been ‘eliminated’. The announcement outlined his role as the “main figure of authority in the Gaza Strip”, adding that Esam had been the “Head of the Hamas Government” since July 2024, when he replaced Rawhi Mushtaha after Rawhi’s “elimination”. The post went on to say that Esam “oversaw the integration of all of Hamas’ branches in the Gaza Strip”, was “responsible for emergency operations”, and “served as a key point of contact with senior Hamas terrorists outside of the Gaza Strip.” The announcement included a photo of Esam, likely his ID photo, but did not include any information about where the strike took place. It also did not mention Esam’s six family members who were reportedly killed alongside him. (While Israel military posts wrote Esam’s name as ‘Essam’, Airwars has opted for the ‘Esam’ transliteration/spelling, as that is how two of Esam’s daughters wrote it on Facebook.)
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) details Esam’s career, noting that he was a former advisor to Ismail Haniyeh (a leading member of Hamas who was issued with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court in relation to the killings of hundreds of civilians in Israel on October 7th, 2023. Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran by Israel in July 2024). Esam became the head of the Hamas Government in June 2021, after being elected to the leadership role several months prior. ECFR also notes that he was previously the president of the Union of UNRWA Employees in Gaza (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).
On March 18, 2025, the X account @PalinfoAr published a statement announcing the deaths of several Hamas leaders in Israeli airstrikes that day. Among those named was Esam Al-Daalis, listed alongside other high-ranking officials. Facebook account AlHadath shared that Esam Al-Daalis had been killed in an airstrike on the home he was in.
As the Hamas authorities in Gaza had both a militant wing and a civic/political wing, at the time of publication, in the absence of evidence of militant activity, Airwars is designating members of the civic arm of the government as civilians. In this incident, all sources referred to Esam serving in a civic role. As such, he has been recorded as a civilian. This will be updated should additional information become available.
On Facebook, Opto Areej Esam, one of Esam’s daughters, publicly listed the names of the deceased in her family, including her father Esam, her brother Moaz, Moaz’s wife Ayoun, their children Hala and Esam, her sister Alaa, and her brother Youssef. Her message was echoed by her sister Hadeel Esam, who posted a similar tribute. Other relatives, including Emad Zakout and Mohammed Abdulkareem, confirmed the same names, with Abdulkareem identifying himself as a son-in-law and referring to the deceased as his in-laws. Friends and acquaintances of the family, such as Rabab Je, Kamel Saidam, Taqwa Majed, and Ibrahim Shaheen, posted individual condolences and tributes, referring to the family members either by name or relation.
Facebook account Hamla Kaddour posted that Israeli warplanes had targeted the al-Daalis home among other locations in Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah and noted that the family’s house was known locally as belonging to “Abu Moaz al-Daalis.” Mahmoud Jarwan later reported that two more bodies had been recovered from the rubble of the Al-Daalis residence. Hospital documentation of the deceased was shared by several individuals, including Isma’a Bakr, Mohammed Mnsyr, Jamal Zubia, Mahmoud Mohsen, and Ramy H. Bdear, listing names such as Hala Moaz al-Daalis and Ayoun Sami Shaheen – Moaz’s wife – as confirmed fatalities received at al-Awda Hospital.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed the destruction of the home, with civil defense workers retrieving bodies from the wreckage. The names of the victims, including children, were later confirmed by al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat and shared by local journalists such as Isma’a Bakr, Jamal Zubia, and Mohammed Mnsyr on Facebook.
All 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 and ninth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ lists, which were released on March 24, 2025 and June 23, 2025.
Esam was succeeded by Ismail Barhoum as Head of Government. On March 23, just five days after Esam was killed, Ismail was killed in a declared strike on the Nasser Medical Complex, where he was receiving treatment (ISPT230325h).