On 18 March 2025, the home of the Salout family was allegedly bombed by the Israeli military, resulting in the death of eight members of the family, including four young children, and the injury of one woman. According to posts on Facebook, the family home was bombed by the Israeli military, with sources referring to the attack as a family massacre. A ninth member of the family was killed and has been identified as a militant.
59-year-old Sami al-Sayyid Ali Salout (Abu Alaa), father and grandfather of the family, was killed alongside his wife, UNRWA teacher, 58-year-old Intisar Muhammad Mahmoud Salout (Umm Alaa Tamraz).
Their son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and four of their grandchildren were reportedly killed with them in the alleged bombing. Their son, 33-year-old Alaa Sami al-Sayyid Saloud (a militant), was killed, and his wife, Abrar, was reportedly injured, and their young daughter, granddaughter of Sami and Intisar, six-year-old Misk Alaa Sami Salout, was killed.
34-year-old Asmaa Sami al-Sayyid Salout, another daughter of Sami and Intisar, was killed in the alleged Israeli bombing of their home, with her infant daughter, Banan Anis Musa Salout, also amongst those who died. Sami and Intisar’s daughter-in-law, Dalia Majed Salout (Sarsour), was killed, as were her two children: her one-year-old daughter, Hour Abdullah Sami Salout, and her two-year-old son, Sami Abdullah Sami Salout.
When Airwars first published this incident, no open sources were found to suggest that Alaa Sami al-Sayyid Saloud was a militant. As such, Alaa Sami al-Sayyid Saloud was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status'. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.
On March 2, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Hamas' armed wing, Al-Qessam Brigades, published a tribute to Alaa Sami al-Sayyid Saloud, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Alaa Sami al-Sayyid Saloud's status from civilian to militant and changed the minimum number of civilians reportedly killed in this incident from nine to eight.
Where possible, 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 a number of 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.
The age of Banan has 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.
Ali Salout, a surviving family member, shared a post in mourning of his nine family members and an image of the funeral procession, which showed many gathered in mourning with their heads bowed.
Multiple sources referred to Intisar’s career as a UNRWA teacher. According to Mostamroom on Facebook, she taught at Deir al-Balah Girls Prep School B, and she was one of six UNRWA teachers killed within 24 hours on this day. Islam Habbash, via Facebook, mourned the teacher and friend, saying she was one of the first people who taught her “the foundations of childhood” and that she was “never anything but a kind smile” and “honest and sincere in her work.” Om Mohammed Ziad on Facebook, called Intisar an educator of generations, and Rasha Mohammed Al Ruby, also via Facebook, reported that Intisar “excelled in motivating outstanding students and caring for underachieving students.” A former student of hers, Aza Abed, had been taught English by Intisar and reported that she then went back to train as a teacher under Intisar’s leadership. She was clearly a well-loved and respected teacher.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli Military.