Palestinian family torn apart by Israeli snipers from Chicago and Munich
Investigation reveals how four members of one family were killed in a single day, exposing pattern of civilian targeting by IDF
GAZA CITY, Palestine (MNTV) — A joint five-month investigation by The Guardian, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF has revealed how Israeli snipers killed four members of a single family in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood on November 22, 2023, highlighting a broader pattern of targeting unarmed civilians.
The inquiry identified six Palestinians shot by Israeli forces that day, including members of the Doghmosh family, who were gunned down within hours by two men raised in Naperville, Illinois, and Munich, Germany.
Through survivor testimony, death certificates, medical records, and geolocated images, the investigation traced the killings to a sniper unit known as refaim—“ghosts”—comprised largely of dual nationals.
Video footage posted online shows 19-year-old Salem Doghmosh collapsing after being shot in the head while attempting to retrieve the body of his brother, Mohammed, who had been struck moments earlier.
The sniper responsible, identified as former Chicago varsity athlete Daniel Raab, admitted in a recorded interview that Salem was unarmed but dismissed concerns, saying: “That was my first elimination.”
Raab’s partner, later identified as Daniel Graetz of Munich, is believed to have fired the shot that killed Mohammed, 26, who supported his family by collecting scrap metal.
Their father, Montasser, 51, was fatally wounded after rushing to recover his sons’ bodies, underscoring the human instinct to secure a dignified burial—a right enshrined in international law.
The snipers’ actions formed part of a wider pattern in which Israeli forces treated unarmed men between 18 and 40 as legitimate targets. Scholars and rights groups say such killings contribute to the evidence of genocide in Gaza, where more than 64,000 Palestinians have died since October 2023.
The sniper team’s operations were further documented in soldier-shared videos and graffiti markings found on a building geolocated by investigators to 400 meters from the killings, providing a clear line of fire onto Moneer al-Rayyes Street.
Human rights organizations in Belgium and France are now reviewing evidence for potential war crimes cases. Both Raab and Graetz declined to respond to repeated requests for comment during the investigation.
Both the snipers are not arrested by respective governments, nor they are investigated for their war crimes. They go on living their lives in the western societies.
The Doghmosh family’s loss, unfolding over mere hours, encapsulates the wider toll of Israel’s military campaign on Gaza’s civilian population.
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