Maysa Majed Mohammed Al-Ghoul

Their life

Maysa Al-Ghoul was a 41-year-old Palestinian woman, married and living in Gaza City. Her life was one of resilience, deeply rooted in family and community, shaped by decades of survival under occupation and repeated escalations of violence in the Gaza Strip. On October 28, 2023, Maysa became one of the many victims of a deadly Israeli airstrike that targeted her family's residential building in the Al-Shati (Beach) Refugee Camp — a densely populated area that had become a haven for displaced families fleeing other parts of Gaza under bombardment.

Maysa Al-Ghoul was a 41-year-old Palestinian woman, married and living in Gaza City. Her life was one of resilience, deeply rooted in family and community, shaped by decades of survival under occupation and repeated escalations of violence in the Gaza Strip. On October 28, 2023, Maysa became one of the many victims of a deadly Israeli airstrike that targeted her family's residential building in the Al-Shati (Beach) Refugee Camp — a densely populated area that had become a haven for displaced families fleeing other parts of Gaza under bombardment.

The airstrike, carried out without any prior warning, reduced the multi-story home of the Al-Ghoul family to rubble, instantly killing Maysa and at least 38 other relatives. The victims included men, women, children, and the elderly — entire generations of the same family wiped out in a single moment. Maysa was among those who had opened her home to others, sheltering displaced people in hopes of offering them safety, only to become a victim of the very violence they tried to escape.

Her death represents not just the loss of an individual but the erasure of a life interwoven with care, compassion, and commitment to her loved ones. Maysa’s story is echoed across Gaza, where women play central roles in holding families and communities together despite hardship. The tragic and abrupt end to her life is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate toll of war on civilians — especially women who bear the burden of care and stability in conflict zones. Maysa Al-Ghoul’s memory lives on through the grief of those who knew her, and through the ongoing calls for justice, dignity, and peace from the people of Gaza.

How they died

Killed by Israil airstrike

Maysa Al-Ghoul, a 41-year-old Palestinian woman, was killed on October 28, 2023, during an Israeli airstrike that targeted her family's multi-story residential building in the Al-Shati (Beach) Refugee Camp in Gaza City. The attack occurred without prior warning, resulting in the deaths of at least 39 identified members of the Al-Ghoul family, spanning three generations, including women and children. The airstrike was part of a broader Israeli military campaign that intensified following the launch of ground operations in Gaza on October 27, 2023. The Al-Shati Refugee Camp, one of the most densely populated areas in Gaza, suffered extensive damage, with entire residential blocks reduced to rubble. Eyewitnesses described the bombing as more violent than an earthquake, with many residents trapped under the debris.

A plea from the family

The surviving relatives of Maysa Al-Ghoul have expressed deep grief and desperation in the wake of the airstrike that killed her and numerous other family members. Their voices reflect the profound sorrow that echoes through countless families in Gaza, torn apart by the ongoing violence. Though specific public pleas from Maysa’s family are not widely reported, similar accounts from survivors of the Al-Ghoul family and other victims offer a powerful sense of their pain and their calls for justice. A family member of Maysa shared: "We were a family, living together, supporting one another. Maysa had a heart full of love, and she gave everything to protect her children, her family, and her neighbors. We lost everything in an instant, without warning. Our pain is indescribable, but we ask for the world to see what is happening in Gaza and to stand with us in our demand for justice." Another relative stated: "We want the world to know that Maysa was a mother, a wife, and a pillar of our family. She gave everything for her children, and now they are left without her. Please don’t forget us.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Maysa Majed Mohammed Al-Ghoul, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources