Mohammad Nawfal

Their life

Mohammad Nawfal (died 10 August 2025) was a Palestinian photojournalist for Al Jazeera, born and raised in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. He began his career humbly as a driver for the network but soon proved his dedication and skill, becoming a photographer’s assistant and later a frontline photojournalist. Known for his courage, resilience, and loyalty to his community, Nawfal continued to work despite personal tragedy — losing his mother and brother in earlier strikes and suffering his own injuries. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike near Shifa Hospital while covering the war, a loss mourned deeply by colleagues and press-freedom advocates worldwide.

Born in the Jabaliya refugee camp, Mohammad Nawfal grew up in the densely populated and impoverished northern Gaza Strip. His journey into journalism began at Al Jazeera, where he started as a driver, transporting crews and equipment. His work ethic and passion for storytelling soon earned him a position as a photographer’s assistant, allowing him to experience the realities of frontline journalism firsthand.
Over time, Nawfal developed strong technical and visual skills, helping document some of Gaza’s most harrowing moments during the ongoing war. His dedication continued even after surviving a strike on his own home early in the conflict, in which he was wounded in the hip and lost several family members, including his mother and older brother, who were killed just two months before his own death.
Despite his injuries and grief, Nawfal kept working, determined to ensure the world saw the suffering of Gaza’s civilians. His life ended on 10 August 2025, when an Israeli airstrike near Shifa Hospital claimed his and journalist Anas al-Sharif’s lives. His story stands as a testament to the bravery and humanity of journalists who continue their work under the most dangerous conditions.

How they died

He was Killed in an Israeli airstrike while on duty near Shifa Hospital, northern Gaza Strip.

On 10 August 2025, Mohammad Nawfal was working near Shifa Hospital — an area repeatedly targeted during the war — when an Israeli airstrike struck, killing him and fellow Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif. Both were covering civilian conditions amid intensified bombardment. Nawfal, already mourning his family’s deaths, continued his work until his final day. Al Jazeera condemned the strike as part of a pattern of attacks on journalists, calling for accountability and protection of media personnel.

Why we remember them

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

References & sources