In a new crime that falls within a broader pattern of grave violations against Palestinian journalists, journalist Saleh Al-Ja’frawi was killed on Sunday evening in the Al-Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City by armed militias supported by the Israeli occupation.
This crime occurred amid the ongoing genocide waged by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip for over a year, an assault that has already claimed the lives of 254 journalists, making it one of the deadliest campaigns against the press in modern history.
Al-Aqsa TV reported that Al-Ja’frawi was killed while covering the return of displaced residents to Gaza City following months of forced evacuation due to Israeli attacks. The report confirmed that armed gangs directly shot him while he was doing his job.
The incident comes amid warnings over the growing presence of lawless militias receiving indirect support and weapons from the Israeli occupation forces, aiming to fracture Palestinian society and create chaos within the already devastated Strip.
These gangs have exploited the humanitarian and security collapse caused by the aggression, engaging in looting and interference with humanitarian aid, while local authorities remain overwhelmed by the ongoing catastrophe.
Al-Ja’frawi’s killing cannot be separated from the Israeli occupation’s systematic policy to silence Palestinian media voices, whether through direct bombing of media offices and press institutions or by empowering local militias to serve its agenda. His murder is an extension of the genocidal campaign against journalists, aimed at erasing the truth and eliminating eyewitnesses to war crimes committed against civilians in Gaza.
Legally, this act constitutes a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions, which protect civilians and journalists in conflict zones. It also qualifies as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which criminalizes the targeting of journalists or the use of proxy agents to carry out systematic killings.
Al-Ja’frawi’s death is not an isolated incident it’s another chapter in a long-running assault on press freedom in Palestine. It confirms that the war on Gaza is not merely military but also a war on memory, truth, and the Palestinian narrative.
