Saleh al-Jafarawi

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Saleh al-Jafarawi
صالح الجعفراوي
Al-Jafarawi in 2025
Born(1997-11-22)22 November 1997
Gaza City, Palestine
Died12 October 2025(2025-10-12) (aged 27)
Sabra, Gaza, Palestine
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Alma materIslamic University of Gaza
Occupation(s)Journalist, content creator and table tennis player
Years active2019–2025

Saleh al-Jafarawi (Arabic: صالح الجعفراوي, romanized: Ṣāliḥ al-Jaʻfarāwī; 22 November 1997 – 12 October 2025) was a Palestinian citizen journalist, social media influencer and table tennis player from Gaza. He was recognised during the Gaza war for his frontline video reporting and wide social media reach. During a period when a ceasefire was in place between Hamas and Israel,[1][2] Saleh was shot and killed by members of an "armed militia"[3] of Doghmush clan members amid clashes with Hamas in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on 12 October 2025 while covering armed clashes.[4][5][6][7][8]

Early life

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Saleh al-Jafarawi was born in Gaza City in the Gaza Strip, on 22 November 1997. He attended the Islamic University of Gaza, where he received a bachelor's degree in media and journalism in 2019. He began producing content around 2018 on the Great March of Return, during which he covered the situation on the group as a freelance journalist for local media outlets.[9] He also worked independently as a freelance photographer and journalist on social media platforms. His reporting style often involved documenting civilian suffering and destruction during Israeli military operations in Gaza.[10][11][12]

Career

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Prior to his journalism role, Al-Jafarawi was a table tennis player and represented Palestine in international table competitions, including the WTT Feeder in Doha, Qatar in 2023.[13]

Al-Jafarawi became particularly well-known during the Gaza war, when his videos from the conflict zones went viral on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. He amassed a large following, and his content was widely shared.[11][12][14]

The Times of Israel wrote that "he first gained wide attention with a video he recorded on 7 October 2023, in which he praised Hamas's rocket attacks. Later in the war, he filmed himself crying and reacting in terror to Israel's airstrikes."[15]

In November 2023, pro-Israel influencers falsely claimed that al-Jafarawi had faked a scene of being hospitalized and labelled the video as "Pallywood." A Voice of America investigation found that the video in the hospital was not of al-Jafarawi but a Palestinian child.[16]

In March 2025, al-Jafarawi's Instagram account was suspended "indefinitely", forcing him to use a backup account.[17]

In late September 2025, al-Jafarawi's followers raised alarm after the Israel Defense Forces Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee alleged that al-Jafarawi was affiliated with Hamas. His followers feared that, like other Palestinian journalists in Gaza accused of associations with Hamas, al-Jafarawi could be targeted in the near future. They drew comparison to the journalist Anas al-Sharif, who was targeted and killed in Gaza by Israel with similar allegations.[18]

Death

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On 12 October 2025, al-Jafarawi was shot and killed by Doghmush clan members amid clashes with Hamas in Sabra, Gaza City.[a][3][19] Palestinian sources have indicated that there were confrontations in Hasher Sabra involving Hamas security personnel and members of the Daghmush tribe; however, local authorities have yet to verify this information.[3]

After his death, Instagram removed al-Jafarawi's account which had 4.5 million followers at the time of his death. According to TRT World, Meta justified the erasure of al-Jafarawi’s account under its policy on “dangerous organizations and individuals.” A label they allege has repeatedly been used to purge pro-Palestinian journalists and activists from its platforms.[20] Archived snapshots of Al-Jafarawi's page on the Wayback Machine also have been disabled.[21]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Sources mislabel his age as "28".

References

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  1. ^ "Israel-Backed Militias Kill Well-Known Palestinian Journalist 'Saleh alJafarawi' Amid Ceasefire 13 October 2025 - 08:04". AhlulBayt News Agency.
  2. ^ Baleegh, Mohammed (13 October 2025). "Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi shot dead amid clashes in Gaza". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi shot dead in Gaza City clashes". Al Jazeera. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  4. ^ Khoury, Jack; Suleiman, Rawan. "Palestinian Journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi Killed in Fighting Between Hamas and Local Militia in Gaza City". Haaretz.
  5. ^ Zaqzouq, Omar (14 November 2023). "صالح الجعفراوي صحفي غزي يزعج إسرائيل" [Saleh Al-Jafrawi, a Gazan journalist who annoys Israel]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  6. ^ "هآرتس: مخاوف على حياة الصحفي صالح الجعفراوي بعد اتهامات أدرعي" [Haaretz: Fears for journalist Saleh al-Jafrawi's life after Adraee's accusations]. Al Jazeera Arabic. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  7. ^ "مقتل صالح الجعفراوي: من هو الصحفي الغزي وكيف استشهد؟ (السيرة الذاتية والتفاصيل الكاملة) ...السعودية" [The killing of Saleh al-Jafrawi: Who was the Gazan journalist and how was he martyred? (Biography and full details) ... Saudi Arabia]. PressBee. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  8. ^ "لاعب منتخب الجامعة الإسلامية يشارك في بطولة العالم لتنس الطاولة – الجامعة الإسلامية بغزة" [Islamic University team player participates in the World Table Tennis Championship] (in Arabic). Islamic University of Gaza. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  9. ^ "صالح الجعفراوي.. ناشط وثق حرب الإبادة الإسرائيلية في غزة" [Saleh Al-Jafrawi: An activist who documented the Israeli war of extermination in Gaza]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  10. ^ "بينهم صالح الجعفراوي.. الاحتلال يحرّض على ناشطين فلسطينيين" [Among them is Saleh al-Jafrawi...the occupation is inciting against Palestinian activists]. Al Araby Television Network (in Arabic). 3 April 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b ""ينشر جرائم الاحتلال".. من هو صالح الجعفراوي الذي أزعج إسرائيل؟ | التلفزيون العربي" ["He publishes the crimes of the occupation." Who is Saleh al-Jafrawi, who has annoyed Israel?]. Al Araby Television Network (in Arabic). 16 November 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  12. ^ a b Hisham, Hajar (12 October 2025). "بعد أنباء استشهاده في حي الصبرة بغزة.. من هو صالح الجعفراوي ويكيبيديا؟" [After news of his martyrdom in the Sabra neighborhood in Gaza... Who is Saleh Al-Jafrawi Wikipedia?]. Sabah Arabi (in Arabic). Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  13. ^ "ITTF Mourns Saleh Al-Jafarawi". ITTF. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  14. ^ Perets, Shir (9 March 2025). "Meta blocks Gazan influencer Saleh Al Jafarawi's Instagram account". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  15. ^ Yohanan, Nurit (12 October 2025). "Reports: Prominent Gaza influencer killed in clashes between Hamas and Gaza militias". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  16. ^ Echols, William (2 November 2023). "Propaganda Campaigners Use 'Pallywood' Label to Accuse Palestinians of Staging Civilian Casualties". Voice of America. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi's Instagram 'suspended indefinitely'". The New Arab. 9 March 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  18. ^ Zbeedat, Nagham (22 September 2025). "'They're painting a target': Gaza influencer followers raise alarm after IDF's allegations". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Prominent Palestinian activist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by armed militia in Gaza City". Middle East Eye. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  20. ^ "TRT World - Meta just erased slain Gaza journalist Aljafarawi from IG. Is it whitewashing Israeli genocide?". www.trtworld.com. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Instagram removes slain journalist Saleh Al Jafarawi's account". The Siasat Daily. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.