On Tuesday, March 18th, 2025, two brothers from the Abu Ajwa family, Osama Abu Ajwa, 44-years-old, and Salim Abu Ajwa, 42-years-old, were both reportedly killed after an alleged Israeli airstrike struck their home in Al-Bureij Camp. On Facebook, their cousin Ramy confirmed their deaths.
A report from Genocide in Gaza (Gigaza) claimed that an Israeli aircraft “targeted a tent housing displaced persons in Al-Bureij Camp without prior warning”. On Facebook, Musaad Abu Ajwa wrote that the attack targeted a tent located on al-Bureij Block 9, in the morning.
On Twitter/X, @mazen00711 said that the two brothers had joined “their brother Alaa and their family,” suggesting some of their relatives have previously died. Musaad Abu Ajwa, Osama, and Salim’s great uncle also lamented the death of the brothers in a Facebook post. He revealed that Osama and Salim’s father is Fathi Abu Ajwa.
Based on the Facebook posts of Greatmosquealbureij Post and Hussam Khatib, it can be inferred that multiple relatives of Osama had already passed away including his wife, children, mother, and siblings. On Facebook, In Qadiya and Hamdios Vabadus described Osama as “a wise man” while Mona Saleh remembered him as an “esteemed” man, who only showed “goodness, good character, and kind treatment”. Often referred to as Doctor or Professor, Osama was a “physician” or a “nurse officer” as well as lecturer at the Faculty of Nursing of the Khan Yunis branch (Southern Branch) of the University College according to the posts of Nursing home, Lina Abu Eker Post and Aisha Nidal.
Friends and acquaintances took to social media in reaction to the news of Osama’s passing. In a Facebook post, Adam Jamal expressed his sorrow and offered prayers following the loss of his friend. He also posted a selfie with Osama, in which they’re both smiling by the seaside. Hussam Khatib shared a photo of Osama in casual clothes, smiling as he fanned the grill. In contrast, pictures posted by Hamdios Vabadus, Qadiya, and Gigaza show Osama in a university gown, but still a wide smile on his face. On Osama’s Facebook account, his profile picture shows him in a white shirt posing with a satchel, similar to the picture posted by Nasser Mohammad and other users.
Compared to his brother, very little information was available on Salim. A picture of Salim in a blue polo shirt was shared by Musaad Abu Ajwa and Gigaza on Facebook. Al-Bureij official Facebook page published a picture of a younger Salim in a black suit.
According to Musaad Abu Ajwa the brothers’ burial took place in the afternoon of the same day at the Al-Bureij cemetery.
Both 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 fourth and eighth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on October 26, 2023.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to Israeli forces.