I found out on LinkedIn that Mahmoud Almadhoun, brother of Hani Almadhoun, a LI contact who is the Senior Director of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA, was targeted and murdered by the IDF. As Hani mentioned in the second post, “Mahmoud leaves behind seven children—the youngest only two weeks old, and the oldest still in the hospital, recovering from critical injuries caused by an Israeli quadcopter.”

Here are three messages Hani posted, plus one eyewitness account. They appear in descending chronological order. This is the evil that is Israel and its unchecked military, one of tens of thousands of victims of genocide, part of the terrorist regime’s master plan to eliminate all Palestinians in Gaza through murder by IDF, starvation, disease, and displacement.

Here’s a video that Al Jazeera made six months ago featuring interviews with Mahmoud and Hani: These Brothers Are Fighting Famine As Israel Starves Palestinians in Gaza.

Please keep Mahmoud and his family in your prayers, say his name out loud, and remember him and his sacrifice for his fellow human beings. He is another one of my heroes on a short list.

Peace/שָׁלוֹם/سلام, MAA

Post #1

Rest in peace. This morning, my brother was deliberately targeted by Israel—they ensured he would not survive. His loss is a devastating reminder of the immense cruelty we face. May his memory live on as a testament to resilience, and may we find strength in his honor to continue the fight for justice. You are forever loved, and your absence is deeply felt. انا لله وانا اليه راجعون الله يرحمه ويغفر له ويسكنه فسيح جناته (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. May Allah have mercy on him, forgive him, and grant him a place in His spacious gardens.)

Post #2

Chef Mahmoud will be missed. Every day or so, he would leave me a voice note: “Hani, I need to get produce to the hospital. Hani, I need to buy medicine for the medical point. The teachers need supplies.” He absolutely refused to leave the north because he felt he could still help people.

He had already secured two months’ worth of food for the hospital, along with blankets, diapers, and baby formula that he personally purchased. Just yesterday, he requested nearly $4,500 for the second shipment of produce this month. He also informed one of our donors that a private pharmacy was selling its inventory, and he wanted us to buy it to donate to the hospital.

He always had a green light to act on these things. When my sister would tell him, “That’s too much,” he’d insist he had cleared it with me and a donor.

I don’t know what our family would look like without our baby brother. My heart aches for my parents and his children, who are now left without their loving, caring dad. What gives us a small measure of comfort is knowing he was doing God’s work in North Gaza. Someone he helped along the way would certainly vouch for the life he lived and the difference he made.

The Gaza Soup Kitchen is assessing our operations, but we won’t be going anywhere. We will continue to support the hospital and honor his legacy of service.

P.S. I just learned that when our neighbors tried to carry his remains to the hospital, where he was headed, they came under sniper fire. Instead, they withdrew and took him home instead.

Post #3

This morning, an Israeli drone hovered over the neighborhood, waiting for Chef Mahmoud to begin his daily routine to Kamal Adwan Hospital. He had barely stepped outside when he was targeted and assassinated.

We believe he was killed because of his unwavering dedication to solving problems for Kamal Adwan Hospital and ensuring they had whatever they needed. Mahmoud was a lifeline, standing in the way of the ethnic cleansing they are determined to carry out—and they would not allow that to continue.

The news is shattering. Just yesterday, we spoke, and he shared all the ways he was helping the community. Today, he is gone, and our already grieving parents must endure yet another unbearable loss.

Mahmoud leaves behind seven children—the youngest only two weeks old, and the oldest still in the hospital, recovering from critical injuries caused by an Israeli quadcopter. How do you break the news to his eldest child?

Mahmoud’s absence will be felt in every corner of our lives. He will be deeply missed, not only by his family but also by the thousands of families in North Gaza who depended on his unwavering support.

We are a Palestinian family, and despite this deep sorrow, we hold onto our resolve. May his death be a curse on everyone who has wronged our people. May it become a nightmare for the coward who pulled the trigger—not just against Mahmoud, but against all Palestinians everywhere. His legacy will endure, and his memory will remain a testament to our resilience and strength.

Eyewitness Account

Abu Tamer was Chef Mahmoud’s close friend and right-hand man. This morning (30 November), around 9 a.m., they were walking together when an Israeli drone unloaded its payload directly under Mahmoud’s feet, fatally wounding him. Abu Tamer, in his shock and grief, thought he could still save him. Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza is only a five-minute walk away, so he tried to transport my brother there.

But they came under fire. He tried a different route, only to face more gunfire. Eventually, they had no choice but to take Chef Mahmoud to Abu Tamer’s shelter, just two minutes in the opposite direction. There, they wrapped him in a blanket, said hurried goodbyes, and placed him on a cart with wheels. They dug a resting place and left him there, alone in the cold, after he had done everything he could to make sure his neighbors had food and water during this time of unimaginable hardship.

An eyewitness confirmed this was a targeted attack on Chef Mahmoud—a cruel attempt to make an example of him. His resilience and resourcefulness were well known, and it’s believed that he may have single-handedly slowed the ethnic cleansing of North Gaza by ensuring the hospital-turned-shelter had food and supplies he had stored for a rainy day like this.

Rest in peace, little brother. As your older brother, I go to bed heartbroken but proud, knowing that you have made not only our family proud but also your people and allies. You gave everything for the sake of others, and your legacy will not be forgotten.

Here’s an official statement released by UNRWA USA, Hani’s employer and an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides support for the humanitarian work of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) through advocacy, fundraising and education. UNRWA USA aims to educate the general American public about the situation of the Palestinian refugees and generate support for UNRWA’s programs in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

With shattered hearts, we mourn alongside our UNRWA USA colleague, Hani Almadhoun, as he and his family face another devastating loss.

This morning, Hani’s brother, Mahmoud, was targeted and killed by the Israeli military in Gaza as he was preparing to serve food to thousands in need. Chef Mahmoud, as he came to be known by the thousands he served daily over the last year, was a lifeline for his community. In addition to cooking wholesome meals for his community in their hour of greatest need, he also supplied critical aid to doctors, hospital staff, and patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

As one of the last men and humanitarians standing in northern Gaza delivering food aid, Chef Mahmoud remained unwavering in his determination to offer hope and support to his community – an area in Gaza that has been largely cut off from humanitarian aid over the last two months by the Israeli military. In fact, out of the 91 attempts the United Nations has made to deliver aid to the besieged north between October 6th and November 25th, 82 have been denied and 9 impeded.

Just yesterday, Chef Mahmoud shared how he was preparing to bring aid to those around him. Today, he is gone, leaving behind seven children, including his eldest who was shot in the eye and groin by an Israeli quadcopter drone just days ago and his youngest who is just two weeks old.

This loss comes on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the tragic killing of Hani’s younger brother, Majed, his sister-in-law, and four of their children, all killed by an Israeli airstrike on their family home in Gaza last November.

Mahmoud’s death deepens the immense grief that Hani and his family have already endured. This senseless loss is part of the broader, devastating toll of what experts know to be an ongoing genocide against Palestinian civilians, including the more than 249 UNRWA humanitarian aid workers who have been killed at the hands of the Israeli military.

At UNRWA USA, we mourn this loss and honor Mahmoud’s legacy of service, resilience, and love for his people. His life was taken, but his impact endures. We remain committed to our mission to support Palestine refugees, honoring Mahmoud and Majed’s memories.

Our deepest condolences go to the Almadhoun family and all those grieving in these unimaginable times. Rest in power and in light of our collective love for you and your family Mahmoud. May your memory be eternal.