Silencing the Journalists of Gaza.

They Can Bury the Body, But Not the Truth.

They knew the bombs could fall on them from above the sky at any moment. Still, they lifted their cameras, filmed every scene of bombing, every cry, every flash of fire, every call for help they could with their exhausted souls.

They let their lives be in danger, never fearing death but took it as an honour. An honour to be killed while bearing witness so that the world could never say 'We didn't know what was happening'.

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Amongst the several killed was Anas Al-Sharif, the one whose calm voice gave hope to the millions. He was described as "the only voice left in Gaza city". The only journalist who dared to venture to such places where no other would step in, to show the world what others were too afraid to see.

Before his soul departed, he left behind words that now echo like a testament, one that would be a witness on the Day where only Justice would prevail:

"If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. I lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification."

"Do not forget Gaza," was his appeal. "And do not forget me in your righteous prayers for forgiveness and acceptance."

Then another journalist, Mariam Abu Daqqa, a woman of true resilience and one that possessed courage like any other. She wasn't just a journalist, she was a mother, a wife and a daughter too. Beneath the dusty press jacket, she too like any other woman wished to see her son Gaith, growing up, who wanted to watch him build a life far from the sounds of bombs.

She was a woman who donated her kidney to her father, showing us that love was the only thing worth giving away. Months later, before she herself was killed she grieved the loss of her own mother who had died of cancer, due to inadequate medical treatment during the Israel's war on Gaza, yet she still reported amidst the chaos, the loos, the heartbreak, the exhaustion from the war.

Her final message was for her son Gaith:

"Ghaith, you are the heart and soul of your mother.

I ask that you pray for me and not weep, so that I may rest in peace.

Make me proud by working hard, succeeding in your studies, and becoming a capable, accomplished young man. Strive to build a future for yourself, to become a respected businessman.

My dearest, never forget me. Everything I did was to see you happy, comfortable, and fulfilled.

And when the time comes, when you marry and have a daughter, please name her Mariam, after me.

You are my love, my strength, my pride, and my joy. Always carry yourself with dignity and let your actions honor my memory.

Most importantly, Ghaith: never neglect your prayers. Your prayers are your strength.

With all my love, Your mother, Mariam."

Her words revealed both her strength as a mother and her unshakable faith in spreading the truth for the destructions in Gaza.

Where they may think they have silenced a mother's voice, what they forgot is that love does not die in the noise of war.

It will be alive through her son's memory; through the stories she recorded and through the hearts of all those who heard her speak. They could end her life, but never her light.

Just when we thought the war was 'over'. That they'll be no more killing.

When the guns fell silent for a moment, when people began to accept that peace is returning to Gaza, the journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi, whose name had become known across Gaza for his unyielding presence was targetted.

He wanted to show the world what happiness looked like after 2 years of constant bombing and endless fire, the children stepping out of the rubble, the sky no longer throwing bombs.

But before he could, the silence shattered once more. He was killed, by an armed militia in Gaza city. But even in his final moment, he had been doing what he always did: believing that the peace was worth recording, even if it lasted only a heartbeat.

In his final will, he wrote:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Who said: "Do not think of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. They are alive, with their Lord, receiving provision."

I am Saleh. I leave this will - not as a farewell, but as a continuation of the path I chose with certainty.

Allah knows that I have given all I could - every effort and every ounce of strength - to be a support and a voice for my people. I have lived through pain and oppression in all their forms, tasted grief, and lost my loved ones many times. Yet I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is - the truth that will forever remain a proof against those who stood silent and a badge of honour for those who supported the most noble and steadfast people of Gaza.

If I am martyred, know that I have not disappeared... I am now in Paradise, with my brothers who preceded me - with Anas, Ismail, and all the beloved ones who fulfilled their covenant with Allah.

Remember me in your prayers. Continue the path after me. Remember me through acts of ongoing charity, and remember me whenever you hear the call to prayer or see the light piercing Gaza's night. I urge you to remain steadfast upon the path of resistance - the path we have walked and the belief we have lived by. We have known no other way, and we have found no meaning in life except in holding firm to it.

I entrust you with my father, my role model and the crown upon my head. He was my strength through war and hardship. May Allah gather us together in Paradise while he is pleased with me.

I entrust you with my brother and teacher Najy, my companion on the path. Najy... I have gone ahead to meet Allah before your release from prison. Know that this is Allah's decree and that my longing for you remains. I wished to see you, to embrace you - but Allah's promise is true, and our meeting in Paradise is nearer than you think.

I entrust you with my mother - my heart, my endless prayer, my living hope. I prayed that Allah would heal and bless you. I dreamed of seeing you travel for treatment and return smiling.

I entrust you with my brothers and sisters: your pleasure, after Allah's, is my goal. May Allah fill your lives with joy and kindness as gentle as your hearts, which I always tried to make smile.

I always said: the word never falls, and the image never dies. The word is a trust; the image is a message. Carry them to the world as we carried them before you. My martyrdom is not an end - it is the beginning of a long journey toward freedom. I am a messenger of a message meant for the world - to the world that closes its eyes, and to those who stay silent before truth.

If you hear of my death, do not weep for me. I longed for this moment for so long and prayed that Allah would grant it to me. All praise to Allah, Who chose for me what I love.

To all who wronged or insulted me with falsehood in life - I leave you to Allah, before Whom we shall all meet, and there the truth will be made clear.

I urge you to hold fast to Palestine... to Al-Aqsa Mosque. My wish was to reach its courtyards, to pray within it, to touch its soil. If I do not reach it in this world, I ask Allah to unite us there in the gardens of eternity.

O Allah, accept me among the martyrs. Forgive my past and future sins. Make my blood a light illuminating the path of freedom for my people and my homeland.

Forgive me if I fell short. Pray for me for mercy and forgiveness. I have kept the covenant and never changed nor turned away.

Peace be upon you all.

Your brother, the martyr - by Allah's permission - Saleh 'Amir Fu'ad Al-Ja'frawi 12 October 2025

This is what this brave journalist asked to be published after his martyrdom.

These are not simply words; they are a vow from deep within the heart. The kind that can only come from a soul who stood face to face with death but still chose the truth.

But this is not just it, Meta even deleted Saleh's Instagram account, wiping away his photographs, his videos, his recorded stories, the living record of everything he witnessed with his tired eyes, everything he dared to capture to show the world.

It was as if they believed that by deleting his digital traces, they could undo his existence, make the truth vanish , erase the pixels that were a testament to the suffering of the people of Gaza.

But in reality, it's they who are in the dark, in disbelief.

Because truth once seen, can never be unseen. It lingers, even in silence.

They think that if they deleted the accounts from their root, shattered the cameras, the truth would disappear with their owners, but nothing is kept unrecorded in the court of Allah.

Nothing escapes the gaze of the One who sees it all, but Who no eye can see.

Nothing hides from His sight, not the tear that falls in secret, nor the cruelty planned in the shadows.

Allah is the Witness when the world looks away, the Light when truth is buried beneath rubble, the Justice that never sleeps, but instructs the angels to write and write...and write.

He watches the oppressors carry out their mission, knowing that He has already written their final destination in eternity.

For He is the One who never forgets:

"And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror]." (Surah Ibrahim, Verse 42)

The crimes of the enemies are written.

Their witnesses will be honoured in the highest ranks of Paradise.

The world may forget their names, but the heavens have already recorded them.

And the truth they tried to silence will testify against them when the pages of this world are turned and the next world comes forth.

May Allah protect our brothers and sisters in Palestine and make the scale of their good deeds heavy with reward and grant us the ability to support them in these hard times, Aameen.