Massacre of Gaza family by US and German-born IDF snipers detailed in damning war crimes probe

A five-month cross-border investigation has uncovered harrowing evidence of Israeli snipers targeting unarmed Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including four members of the same family killed within hours of each other. The findings shed light on a broader pattern of systematic killing, with evidence pointing to clear violations of international law.

The investigation—carried out by The Guardian, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF—identified Daniel Raab and Daniel Graetz, Israeli snipers raised in the US and Germany respectively, as perpetrators in the killings of Salem, Mohammed and Montasser Doghmosh, as well as their cousin Mohammed Farid. The snipers operated as part of a unit called “refaim” (ghosts).

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On 22 November 2023, Israeli snipers stationed in a six-storey building in northern Gaza with clear sight of Moneer Al-Rayyes Street gunned down the Doghmosh family. Salem, just 19, was shot in the head while attempting to retrieve his older brother’s body. His father, Montasser, who rushed to the scene, was also killed. Graetz is believed to have shot Mohammed Doghmosh, 26, earlier that day as he walked unarmed with his cousin.

The killings were filmed and later released in a gloating video montage made by an Israeli soldier. In a video interview, Raab admitted to several of the shootings, expressing no remorse and mocking the efforts of grieving family members attempting to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones.

“They just kept on coming to try and take these bodies,” Raab said. “That’s what you have snipers for.”

The footage was independently verified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology, which found no evidence of tampering.

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Under international humanitarian law, unarmed civilians and those engaged in the retrieval of bodies are protected. 

The killings are emblematic of Israel’s broader campaign of extermination in Gaza, which has so far killed over 64,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Scholars, lawyers and human rights organisations have increasingly described the ongoing assault as genocide, a charge now under formal investigation at the International Court of Justice.

Raab and Graetz are among many dual-national Israeli soldiers whose online postings have enabled human rights organisations to trace their actions. Photos from the scene, satellite imagery and on-site investigation corroborated the snipers’ location and field of vision, demonstrating that the civilians were deliberately targeted.

In total, Raab claimed his sniper team killed 105 people during their deployment in Gaza. “That’s really impressive,” he said in one interview.

The Israeli military claimed its forces operate “in strict accordance with its rules of engagement and international law,” despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

In the Doghmosh family’s case, two other relatives were severely injured while attempting to rescue the dead. One, Khalil, was shot while carrying Montasser. “I had taken about eight to ten steps when I was shot. I thought my arm was blown off,” he recounted. Montasser later died of his injuries. The brothers’ bodies were left in the street for two days until a ceasefire allowed them to retrieve the bodies.

Mohammed Farid, a distant cousin, was also killed that day as he walked unarmed near his home. Witnesses identified his body in sniper footage shared online.

Fayza Doghmosh, mother of Salem and Mohammed, watched the video of her sons’ deaths 18 months after the incident. “Even if I forgive him, God will not,” she said.

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