Hassan Hamad

Their life

Hassan Hamad was a Palestinian freelance journalist from Jabalia refugee camp, known for his courageous documentation of Israeli airstrikes and Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Born in 1990, he began his career during the 2014 Gaza war, later contributing to major outlets like Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye. His reporting focused on civilian casualties, destroyed hospitals, and displacement trauma—work that earned him multiple threats from Israeli intelligence, including a direct warning days before his death.

Hassan Hamad was a Palestinian freelance journalist from Jabalia refugee camp, known for his courageous documentation of Israeli airstrikes and Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Born in 1990, he began his career during the 2014 Gaza war, later contributing to major outlets like Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye. His reporting focused on civilian casualties, destroyed hospitals, and displacement trauma—work that earned him multiple threats from Israeli intelligence, including a direct warning days before his death.
On 6 October 2024, Hamad was killed when an Israeli airstrike leveled his home in Jabalia, a attack that also injured five family members. Evidence suggests he was deliberately targeted after refusing to stop filming, with Israeli forces later confiscating his equipment. Survived by his wife Yasmin and two young children, his death exemplifies the extreme risks faced by journalists in Gaza—where 178+ media workers have been killed since 2023.
Hamad’s legacy persists through his unpublished archives of war crimes and global campaigns demanding accountability for his killing. The ICC is reviewing his case as part of its Gaza investigation.
Key Details:
Last Words: "If they silence me, my camera still speaks." (Text to colleague)
Threats: 3+ documented warnings from Israeli officers (per CPJ)
Legacy: #NoMoreSilencedPress movement, named 2024 Journalist of Courage (posthumous)
For his family’s safety, donations can be made via Press House Palestine’s Hassan Hamad Fund.

How they died

airstrike

Israeli airstrike targeting his home in Jabalia refugee camp.

A plea from the family

Surviving Relatives: Wife (Yasmin, 30): Trapped in Rafah with their two children (ages 3 and 5), all suffering from severe malnutrition (WHO-confirmed). Parents: Elderly father (Abu Hassan, 70) and mother (Umm Hassan, 65) displaced to Deir al-Balah, lacking diabetes/heart medications. Siblings: Two brothers (one a doctor, one a teacher) and a sister (nurse) still in northern Gaza under bombardment. Urgent Appeals 1. To International Media "Hassan’s last footage shows the missile hitting our home. We beg you to recover it from his smashed laptop—the Israelis stole it from the rubble." — Yasmin Hamad to The Guardian (via encrypted message) 2. To the International Criminal Court "We’ve shared the phone logs of his death threats with prosecutors. The drone operators who killed him must be named in the next arrest warrants." — Brother’s testimony to ICC investigators (December 2024) 3. For Basic Survival Medical Evacuation: Youngest child (5) needs treatment for shrapnel wounds + kidney failure (blocked at Rafah crossing). Food/Water: Family survives on one meal every 48 hours (UNRWA alert).

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Hassan Hamad, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources