Rafa Salama (; died 13 July 2024) was a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

militant and the head of the

Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...

branch of the

Al-Qassam Brigades Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades are ...

, the military wing of

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

. He was killed by the Israeli military in an airstrike on al-Mawasi refugee camp on 13 July 2024, during the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

Militant career

Salama initially worked at a school in Khan Yunis before joining Hamas in the early 1990s and being appointed as commander of the Khan Yunis brigade under the command of

Mohammed Sinwar Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan al-Sinwar (; 16 September 1975 – 13 May 2025) was a Palestinian politician and militant who became the third Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, following the killing of his brother, Yahya Sinwar in October 2024. He also ...

. Israel has accused Salama of orchestrating the 2006 Gaza cross-border raid and capture of

Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit (, ''Gilˁad Šaliṭ'' ; born 28 August 1986) is a former MIA soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who, on 25 June 2006, was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid via tunnels near the Israeli border. Ham ...

, as well as the 7 October attack on Israel. Israel bombed Salama's family home in Al-Mawasi on 13 July 2024, killing both Salama and head of the Al-Qassam Brigades,

Mohammed Deif Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (; 12 August 1965 – 13 July 2024), better known as Mohammed Deif (), was a Palestinian militant who served as the sixth commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He succeeded Salah Shehade following t ...

. The massive airstrike on the camp for displaced people also killed at least 90 Palestinians and injured over 300. According to the Saudi channel

Al-Hadath Al-Hadath () is a Saudi news interactive channel focusing on political events in the Arab region. It is available on the British Freeview service via the Vision TV streaming service and from 28 March 2022, it joined Al Arabiya on Freeview channe ...

, Rafa Salama was killed in the strike while Deif was seriously wounded. Hamas dismissed the IDF's claims that it had targeted its leaders, labeling them as "false allegations" that aimed to "cover up the scale of the horrific massacre". Hours after the strikes, sources confirmed Salama's death, who was buried by relatives and Hamas members. Hamas spokesman

Abu Obeida Abu or ABU may refer to: Aviation * Airman Battle Uniform, a utility uniform of the United States Air Force * IATA airport code for A. A. Bere Tallo Airport in Atambua, Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia People * Abu (Arabic term), a kun ...

confirmed his death on 30 January 2025. Both of his sons were also killed in the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salama, Rafa 2024 deaths Hamas military members Palestinian Sunni Muslims People from Khan Yunis Governorate Deaths by Israeli airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war Assassinated Hamas members Military personnel killed in the Israel–Hamas war