WEB DESK: Saleh Al-Jafarawi, the Gazan journalist who became a symbol of resilience for making children smile amid the devastation of war, was killed on Sunday during clashes in Gaza. Reports suggest that his attackers belonged to militia groups allegedly backed by Israel. News of his death sparked an outpouring of grief across social media, with tributes pouring in from Palestine and beyond.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, head of Pakistan’s delegation aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, confirmed the news on X, writing that a “militia collaborating with Israel has silenced another Gazan voice forever.”
الوداع آواز غزہ صالح الجعفراوی۔۔
کیا صالح روح ہے،کیا معصومیت ہے۔
قاتل دہشتگرد ناجائز ریاست اسرائیل کو اس کا حساب بہت جلد دینا یوگا۔
نہر سے بحر تک فلسطین آزاد ہوگا ان شاء اللہ۔ pic.twitter.com/G8YUV1WlCT— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan | سینیٹر مشتاق احمد خان (@SenatorMushtaq) October 13, 2025
Indian journalist Mohammed Zubair reposted one of Al-Jafarawi’s viral clips, in which he played with a baby who had survived Israeli airstrikes, while directly blaming Israel for his killing. Laila Al-Arian, executive producer of Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines, and author Remi Kanazi also mourned his death, highlighting his compassion and courage.
For the past two years, Saleh Al-Jafarawi reported on the genocide of people in Palestine.
Israel killed him now during the ‘ceasefire’. RIP Saleh. 💔pic.twitter.com/8zn3A1ids0— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 12, 2025
The real pain, Saleh, is not just that you’re gone — it’s that you were betrayed.
That the one who killed you was from your own city, your own people.
You didn’t fall the way you always imagined — not at the hands of the enemy who hunted you for twenty long months,
not in an… pic.twitter.com/jscK3dl8hN
— Ahmed (@ThisahmedR) October 12, 2025
This was Saleh, the dreamer, the one most of us never had the honor of seeing.
He had dreams like everyone else in Gaza. He was a ranked player in table tennis. He loved to sing and made songs before and during the genocide. He memorized all 600 pages of the Quran and loved… pic.twitter.com/ykTLwOzKat
— WearThePeace (@WearThePeaceCo) October 13, 2025
Actor Zara Tareen wrote that the struggle was no longer just about freeing Palestine but about “freeing humanity,” while Palestinian musician Nemahsis questioned how such killings could continue if “the genocide was truly over.”
Hamas begins releasing hostages as Trump arrives in Israel
Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary and Palestinian-American businessman Mohamed Hadid also shared emotional tributes on Instagram. Al-Jafarawi had recently posted videos celebrating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, urging hope for Gaza’s future. His death, mourners said, was a cruel reminder of how fragile that hope remains.