On November 2nd 2023, at least six members of the al-Ghoul family, including three children, were killed when their home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City was bombed in an alleged Israeli airstrike. A number of other family members were buried under rubble but survived “safely”.
Local sources identified the names of the killed family members as: 40-year-old Imad Mahmoud Abdul Rahman al-Ghoul; his wife, 35-year-old Mai Gamal Mustafa al-Ghoul; their three daughters, 16-year-old Salma Imad Mahmoud al-Ghoul, 13-year-old Yaren Imad Mahmoud al-Ghoul, and 12-year-old Alia Imad Mahmoud al-Ghoul; as well as Imad’s sister and/or Imad’s aunt – both were mentioned by local sources, but never in the same source.
Other family members who were in the house at the time were able to “[leave] safely” from the rubble, among them were Adel al-Ghoul, his wife Emana Muhammed, their children, Khaled and his family, Abu Imad, Al-Hajjah, and Abu Omar al-Ghoul – based on the description, they have not been listed as injured until additional documentation is found.
Taking to social media, family and friends mourned the loss of the family. Nihad Maghari remembered Imad Mahmoud al-Ghoul as a sincere friend with a “kind heart”, “generous soul”, and a “sincere smile”. Similarly, Mohammed Magdy, mourned Imad, his “lifelong-friend,” and recalled his Egyptian wife, Mai Mustafa al-Ghoul, who was “like a sister” to him. Both posts prayed for God’s mercy on the deceased and their family.
In a post by Gaza Martyrs, it was noted that Mai Mustafa al-Ghoul was an Egyptian feminist researcher and a social worker. She had previously attempted to return to Egypt through the Rafah Crossing but had failed. Following the news of her death her colleagues had mourned her on social media saying that “Today, we lost an impactful individual in this cruel world. From her we witnessed nothing but respect, appreciation, and love for everyone.”
Family member Iman Mohammed reported that the incident took place without warning.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.