Mohammed Fayez Abou Matar

Their life

Mohammed Fayez Yousef Abu Matar was a 28-year-old freelance photojournalist from Rafah, southern Gaza. He worked with international news agencies covering the war between Israel and Hamas. On 11 October 2023, during an Israeli bombing of Rafah, he was killed while carrying out journalistic work. His death was confirmed by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) and reported by WAFA, the state-run news agency. He is listed among the journalists martyred during the conflict and memorialized in registries of Palestinian martyrs.

Mohammed Fayez Yousef Abu Matar was a 28-year-old freelance photojournalist from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Known among colleagues for his courage and dedication, he worked with several international news agencies to document the realities of life and conflict in Gaza. Abu Matar began his career as a local photographer, often capturing images of everyday Palestinian life, border tensions, and humanitarian struggles. As fighting intensified in October 2023, he continued reporting from Rafah despite growing danger, believing that his lens could help the world see the suffering of civilians caught in the war. On 11 October 2023, while photographing and filming the aftermath of Israeli strikes near the Rafah-Egypt border crossing, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Colleagues later described him as a passionate young journalist who refused to leave his city, even as others fled. His death came just four days after the outbreak of full-scale war between Israel and Hamas, marking him among the first journalists to lose their lives in the conflict. He is remembered by peers as a talented and fearless photographer committed to truth and justice through his work.

How they died

He died as a result of Israeli bombings in Rafah. The strike was part of the larger military offensive in southern Gaza.

Abu Matar was operating as a freelance photojournalist, capturing imagery and reporting on the military operations in Rafah. On 11 October 2023, Israeli bombardment struck the Rafah governorate. According to WAFA, he was killed during these bombings. Because he was covering hostile operations, likely from areas where civilians and homes were also being struck, he was exposed to direct danger. The circumstances reported do not make clear whether he was inside a building targeted, or in an open area, or whether he was specifically targeted. What is clear is that the death was caused by aerial or other bombardment by Israeli forces, and was part of the hostilities in that region

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Mohammed Fayez Abou Matar, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources