Mahmoud Rassrass, Beloved Anera Colleague, Killed in Gaza
GAZA, Palestine (June 19, 2025) – Anera is devastated to share the news that our colleague, Mahmoud Mohammed Rassrass, was killed overnight on June 17, 2025, along with two of his young children, in an Israeli drone strike on their tent in Mawasi, Khan Younis, an area designated by Israel as a “safe zone.”
Mahmoud, Anera’s psychosocial support coordinator in Gaza for the past 14 months, was a dedicated and highly experienced professional who provided critical mental health and psychosocial support to children and families traumatized by war. He led daily activities for young children – offering moments of joy through games, art, and song – and facilitated structured sessions for adolescents, parents, and teachers. His work reached thousands and had a vital impact on Gaza’s children.
Anera hired Mahmoud in March 2024 as a consultant, and he quickly became an indispensable part of our education and PSS team. In December 2024, Anera President Sean Carroll saw Mahmoud in action. “I saw Mahmoud in action when I was in Gaza, leading a laughing, boisterous crowd of children and their parents in a day of fun and games, song and dance. Now, Gaza, Palestine and Palestinians, and the whole world, will suffer from his loss.”
Mahmoud lived in Rafah with his wife, Dunia, and their four children. In May 2024, the family was displaced to Mawasi, where they were living in a tent near Mahmoud’s ailing mother.
At midnight, an armored drone dropped explosives on their tent. Mahmoud and his sons, 7-year-old Nidal and 5-year-old Ward, were killed instantly. His wife and two other children, Laila (9) and Mohammed (13), were severely wounded. Mohammed is in critical condition with a broken neck and shrapnel injuries. Laila, though conscious, is traumatized after witnessing the horrific deaths of her younger siblings.
“I can’t tell you how wonderful Mahmoud was,” said Sulieman Mleahat, who worked closely with him as Anera’s Palestine education program director. “I caught up with him on the 16th and we were due to have our regular project meeting the next day. He was a very special and kind person, dedicated to supporting children’s wellbeing. His death is a huge loss to his family, Anera and the people of Gaza.”
“Mahmoud poured his heart into Anera’s psychosocial programs for children,” said Anera Palestine Country Director Sandra Rasheed. “As a father himself, he believed that every child deserves a safe space to simply be a child. Every morning, he was committed to bringing some hope to children’s lives, despite his own personal hardships. His and his two children, Nidal and Ward’s, senseless killing is a tragedy and an incredible loss for the entire Anera team.”
Anera President and CEO Sean Carroll is available for a limited number of interviews.
Sean Carroll, center, with his arm around Mahmoud to his immediate left.
For more information:
Steven Fake
Media Relations Officer
202.266.9719
[email protected]
(UTC-05)
About Anera
Since 1968, Anera has helped refugees and others hurt by conflicts in the Middle East live with dignity and purpose. Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate humanitarian relief and for sustainable health, education, and economic development efforts. Our staff are from the communities they serve, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get help where it’s needed most. We will keep building better lives until hope finds its way in the Middle East.