The mosque was named after Mohammed Abu Shamala, a military commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades, who was martyred on 21 August 2014 during an Israeli airstrike that targeted him in Rafah. The mosque serves as an important religious and social center for the residents of the area, where prayers and various religious activities are held.

On 3 May 2024, Israeli occupation aircraft targeted the vicinity of Abu Shamala Mosque in Tel Al-Sultan, west of Rafah City in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in the partial destruction of the mosque.