At 8:49 a.m. on 18 August 2025, Safa News reported that fisherman Ismail Kamal Salah was reportedly killed and his brother Shadi Kamal Salah was injured by alleged Israeli naval gunfire while they were working in the Gaza Sea.
Local sources, including user @Snd_pal on X, stated that the two men had been working on a “small fishing net” just west of Gaza City when the incident occurred. Testimonies and photos of the brothers were widely shared across social media.
On Facebook, @Em Ihap wrote that they shared the news of the death of their nephew, Ismail Salah, with “hearts filled with pain and tearful eyes.” They posted two photos: one of Ismail posing in shorts and a blue hoodie while holding a large red fish, and another showing his body being carried, mostly covered with a green and white blanket, with only his face visible as mourners place their hands on him.
User @Aboali Alhabil also expressed sadness at the loss, offering condolences to the friends and family of the “virtuous, young man,” and shared a photo of Ismail smiling at the camera while wearing light blue jeans, a navy jumper, and a fleece-lined grey jacket in front of a car. On Facebook, King Rami wrote that “No words of comfort nor the warmest condolences can assuage our pain.”
According to Ismail’s profile on the website Genocide in Gaza, he was 41 years old at the moment of his death. However, his image attached to the profile as well as his images in social media sources show a much younger man.
While many posts mourned Ismail, there was little additional information available regarding the condition of his brother, Shadi Salah, who was reportedly injured in the same incident.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to the Israeli military.