LONDON: Palestinian journalist and social media personality Saleh Al-Jafarawi was killed on Sunday while reporting on fighting between armed groups in Gaza City’s volatile Sabra neighborhood.
Footage circulated online showed his body clad in a press vest.
Multiple sources report that Al-Jafarawi, 28, was shot dead during clashes involving the Doghmush clan militia and Hamas fighters, though accounts of the incident vary and local authorities have not confirmed details.
According to local reports, Gaza’s Interior Ministry has launched an investigation and is pursuing those believed to be responsible.
The Doghmush family, long prominent in Gaza, has a complicated and sometimes tense relationship with Hamas.
Al-Jafarawi was widely followed for his on-the-ground war coverage and commentary.
Israeli media had previously linked him to Hamas, and he was known to face threats and pressure from Israeli channels and military sources.
He gained notoriety after the release of a video in which he appeared to praise Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, a clip that later brought him criticism from Israeli commentators, who gave him the nickname “Mr. FAFO” and questioned the authenticity and intent of his content.
Al-Jafarawi denied ties to any armed group and described living in constant fear after being targeted in Israeli media.
“Honestly, I lived in fear for every second, especially after hearing what the Israeli occupation was saying about me. I was living life second-to-second, not knowing what the next second would bring,” he told Al Jazeera earlier this year.
Despite a recently announced truce, Gaza’s security situation remains fragile, with armed groups and militias fighting for influence amid displacement and civilian unrest.
According to Al Jazeera, additional Palestinian civilians were also killed over the weekend.
Authorities in Gaza warn of continued instability and exploitation of the postwar vacuum by various factions.
Al-Jafarawi is among more than 200 journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023, making the region the deadliest in history for media professionals.
His death came just ahead of the hostage-prisoner exchanges and a major summit convening world leaders in Egypt to discuss Gaza’s future.
