Mohamed Nasr Abu Huwaidi
He was killed while reporting on the aftermath of an Israeli bombardment in the Shujaiya district of Gaza City.
Mohamed was clearly marked as PRESS, wearing his protective press vest and carrying camera equipment when he was hit. After a first strike in the neighborhood, he moved in with other journalists to document the scene. A second missile or artillery round struck the same location, killing him. Witnesses stated that he was not caught accidentally in cross-fire — he was directly within the area of a continued strike on a location that journalists and rescuers had already approached. His colleagues say he died instantly from shrapnel and blast force.
Biography
Mohamed Nasr Abu Huwaidi was a 29-year-old Palestinian photojournalist working for the Gaza-based newspaper Al-Istiklal. He was dedicated to documenting the realities of life under bombardment and spent his final years photographing the suffering of civilians and the destruction around him. On 23 December 2023, while fully identifiable in his press vest and camera gear, he was killed in an Israeli strike in the Shujaiya (Chajaya) district of eastern Gaza City. He died while doing the work he believed in — showing the world what was happening on the ground.
Born and raised in Gaza, Mohamed Abu Huwaidi developed a passion for visual storytelling at a young age. He later turned that passion into a profession, joining Al-Istiklal as a photojournalist. Mohamed became known for his ability to capture powerful images — from bombed neighborhoods to displaced families — always with a focus on human emotion and dignity.
Colleagues remembered him as a calm, skilled, and empathetic photographer who often reassured frightened civilians as he filmed them. He believed that even in war, the role of a journalist was not only to document, but to humanize. Despite knowing the risks, he continued to work on the front lines, driven by a sense of duty to bear witness for the world.
On the day he was killed, Mohamed rushed to the Shujaiya district, an area that had been struck repeatedly. He arrived to film the aftermath — fires, rubble, and wounded civilians — hoping to capture truth before it disappeared in smoke and dust. Minutes later, another bombardment hit the same zone, end
Additional Information
Sources & References
Mohamed Nasr Abu Huwaidi was clearly identifiable by his press vest when he was killed by an Israeli bombardment on 23 December in the Chajaya district, in eastern Gaza City, where he had gone to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike. The 29-year-old journalist worked for the local daily Al-Istiklal.1 rsf.org Open source