On the morning of March 18, 2025, eight family members were killed in an alleged Israeli attack that occurred in Gaza City. Among those killed in the incident were 65-year-old Muhammad Rubin Zain al-Din (Abu Mo’tasim); his wife, 56-year-old Souad Tawfik Zein al-Din (Umm Mo’tasim); and their three sons, Mo’tasim Muhammad Rubin Zain al-Din (Abu Mahdi), 19-year-old Hamza Muhammad Rubin Zain al-Din, and 17-year-old Bilal Muhammad Rubin Zain al-Din. The other family members killed were 34-year-old Shaima Hazem al-Bakri; her little daughter, seven-year-old Talia Muhammad Zain al-Din; and her brother-in-law, 36-year-old Haitham Fouad Zain al-Din.

After the news broke, friends and family took to social media to mourn the loss of the entire al-Din family. In the posts, condolences and heartbreak were shared alongside stories of the deceased and religious messages. In an emotional post, Teyseer Zain al-Din expressed his grief, describing the loss of his family members as leaving “an unhealed wound” in his heart, filled with “pain and sadness.” The family of Muhammad and Soud was said to have been reunited with their son, Muntaser, in heaven, who lost his life earlier in the war. In his post, Teyseer prayed that God would welcome those who perished into paradise, asking to be reunited with them when his own time comes, as they rest in God’s mercy. He concluded with the words, “To God we belong, and to Him we shall return… There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.” Pictures of the family were shared across social media, with family and friends remembering Muhammad as a charitable and generous man, his wife as “dear”, and his sons as good-natured.

Haitham was remembered in a series of posts by friends and family, each sharing photographs of him dressed smartly in suits – a nod to his passion for fashion, especially his involvement with a boutique in Gaza called Trend. In a post by Hazem n radwan, Haitham was remembered as a “lifelong friend”, a “kindhearted man” and a “soulmate” as he recalled their times together, “Laughing, having lunch, going out, and running errands.” Whilst Abdullah s Alafranji recalled Haitham’s morals as he “stood firm on his land, steadfast in the face of injustice, leaving behind indelible memories and unhealed pain.” Khaled Zain Eldeen, in his post, spoke of Haitham as “the best brother and friend” in every moment, saying, “I can’t find a single sweet moment in my life without you being present and a partner in it.” Reflecting on the loss of his friend, Khaled notes how he cannot comprehend that Haitham is no longer here.

Within the messages remembering the entire family, Shaima was mourned as a beloved niece along with her little daughter, Talia, who was but a child at the time of her death. A memorial for the family was held on March 20, 2025, at the Armed Forces Mosque in Nasr City, Al-Firdaws Hall, in Egypt.

Where possible, the ages of victims have been found by cross-checking names against lists of fatalities shared online by Genocide in Gaza, which has a list of “martyrs” of Israeli forces. The profiles of family members on Genocide in Gaza mentioned that “Israeli…forces targeted the Zain al-Din family in Gaza City without prior warning.” Though Genocide in Gaza is the only source which explicitly mentions Israel in relation to this Incident, the nature and description of a “treacherous bombing” by sources indicate that the belligerent was likely the Israeli military. Therefore, this incident has been graded as a “likely strike”.