Career
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
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]
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