On the morning of Tuesday, 18 March 2025, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit the Ghaboun family home on Saddam Street in the al-Janiya neighbourhood, east of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The strike killed Hamas militant 39-year-old Raed Muhammad Ghaboun, his pregnant wife, and at least three of their children. While many sources report that all four children were killed in the attack, some accounts indicate that the family’s eldest son survived.

Raed Muhammad Ghaboun was killed alongside his pregnant wife, 35-year-old Aida Yaqoub Shaker al-Hour (Ghaboun), and three sons: 11-year-old Muhammad Raed Muhammad Ghaboun, nine-year-old Moatasem Raed Muhammad Ghaboun, and six-year-old Mustafa Raed Muhammad Ghaboun. Islam Raed Muhammad Ghaboun was reported as severely injured by the majority of sources, while other sources referred to Raed Ghaboun’s “entire family” as being killed. Since his name was not found in the records of the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of fatalities while his other family members who were killed were found, it is possible he survived the attack.

In a video posted by @PalinfoAr on X, the bodies of the family are shown lying on the floor, wrapped in white shrouds with their names written in blue ink. The person recording the video is heard reading out the names of Aida, Muhammad, Moatasem, and Mustafa, then saying: “An entire family was erased from the civil registry. These are the crimes of the [Israeli military] in the Gaza Strip.”

There are some conflicting reports about the location of the home that was struck, with @PalinfoAr reporting on X that the house was located in Khan Younis instead of Rafah. As most sources referenced Saddam Street, Airwars has added this as the likely location (see geolocation notes below).

There are also conflicting reports about whether Islam, the eldest son, was killed or severely injured. On X, @arwagaza writes: “His eldest son was seriously injured. Pray for his recovery. May God heal and cure you, Islam, God willing.”

Mohammed Abu Hashem, Islam’s cousin, also writes on Facebook: “My aunt’s husband, Commander Raed Ghboun (Abu Islam), was martyred along with my aunt Aida and their sons Moatasem, Muhammad, and Mustafa. Their eldest son, Islam, was severely injured. This was the result of an airstrike that targeted their home in Rafah at dawn yesterday. Just the day before, he came to congratulate me on my engagement. He told me: “I said the war will end, and I’ll find you married with your children in front of you…”

Aida’s nephew, Mohammed Ebrahem El Hour, wrote on Facebook: “My aunt and beloved, the radiant one of us all, Aida, and her martyred husband, God willing, Raed Ghboun (Abu Islam), along with their four children and her unborn baby, are in God’s care. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. Aren’t you missing Abu Khaled, oh Abu Islam? Please send him my regards. I entrust you with that.”

On Facebook, a relative, Umm Mahmoud, posted a photo of the four brothers sitting on a staircase, smiling brightly at the camera. The caption read: “Little angels of paradise, and may God heal you, Saloom.” Saloom is a common nickname for Islam, the eldest son, and allegedly a survivor of the strike.

Multiple sources reported that Raed Muhammad Ghaboun was a prominent leader in the al-Qassam’s Rafah Brigade, the military wing of Hamas. Raed has therefore not been included in the civilian death toll.

The 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, names are 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.