Six Palestinian brothers and their friend were killed on Sunday morning, April 13, 2025, in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a civilian vehicle traveling along Al-Rashid Street in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. The incident occurred amid ongoing genocide across Gaza, which have continued since October 2023.
Medical sources at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed that seven individuals were killed instantly in the strike. The victims included six brothers of the Abu Mahadi family—Ahmad, Mahmoud, Mohammed, Mostafa, Zaki, and Abdullah—as well as their friend, Abdullah Al-Habbash. According to medical staff, the bodies arrived at the hospital severely burned and beyond recognition.
Eyewitnesses stated that the group was en route to a civilian destination within the Strip when an Israeli aircraft fired a missile directly at their vehicle, destroying it completely. No prior warning was reported, and the area was not involved in any active combat at the time of the attack.
Palestinian human rights organisations have documented an increase in attacks targeting civilians in recent days, particularly in central and southern Gaza. Hospitals are facing growing challenges due to the destruction of infrastructure, a critical shortage of medical supplies, and the continued closure of border crossings since the beginning of the war.
Preliminary figures indicate a significant rise in the number of civilian casualties in Deir al-Balah over the past week, coinciding with an intensified wave of Israeli airstrikes in the area. Sunday’s attack is among the deadliest in recent days, as it resulted in the complete loss of all male children from a single family in one strike.
The airstrike comes in the context of the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza for more than a year and a half. According to reports from the United Nations and international aid agencies, the military campaign has left thousands of civilians dead or injured, devastated critical infrastructure, and caused unprecedented internal displacement, contributing to a worsening humanitarian crisis.
