Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi was reportedly shot dead in Gaza City. The news rolled out merely days after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the “first phase” of a peace/ceasefire plan. Popular for livestreaming scenes from Gaza, the 28-year-old media personality was shot fatally shot by “armed militia” during his coverage of turmoil in the Sabra neighbourhood, Palestinian sources shared with Al Jazeera on Sunday.
The Qatar-based outlet’s Sanad agency further confirmed the report after having obtained footage shared by activists, providing heart-rending visuals of Aljafarawi’s body in a “press” flak jacket. He is said to have gone missing on Sunday morning.
Detailing his harrowing experiences in Gaza, Saleh previously told the outlet, “All the scenes and situations I went through during these 467 days will not be erased from my memory. All the situations we faced, we will never be able to forget them.” He is believed to have received multiple threats from Israel given the nature of his Gaza-driven coverage.
“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 said.
Pro-Palestinian coverage on who was Saleh Aljafarawi
According to WeArethePeace’s Instagram handle, Saleh was a ranked player in table tennis. Further detailing traits and aspects of his identity, the page wrote, “He loved to sing and made songs before and during the genocide. He memorized all 600 pages of the Quran and loved Islam and he loved God. He was a Youtuber who started his journey on Youtube back in 2020 where he vlogged his life, added his songs, and showed the beauty of Gaza.” It also says his name in Arabic means “virtuous” and “righteous.”
The 28-year-old Gaza influencer went by ‘@S_Aljafarawi’ on X, and @SalehAljafarawi on YouTube. The latter features numerous music videos capturing Gaza’s plight.
This is a developing story.