Early life
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]
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]
Career
Al-Jafarawi became 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]
In November 2023, pro-Israel influencers falsely claimed that al-Jafarawi had faked a scene of being hospitalized and labelled the video as "Pallywood." Voice of America reported that a video alleging to show Jafarawi faking hospitalization was in fact a misidentification. [15]
The Times of Israel reported that "He gained wide attention with a video he recorded on October 7, 2023, in which he praised Hamas’s attack. Later in the war, he filmed himself crying in reaction to Israel’s airstrikes. Pro-Israel activists juxtaposed the two videos and gave him the nickname "Mr. FAFO" (an acronym for “fuck around and find out.")" [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. [20] According to Meta, they 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. [21] [22]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
