Omar Al-Derawi

Their life

Identity & Background
Full Name: Omar Al-Derawi (عمر الديراوي)
Nationality: Palestinian (Gaza resident)
Religion: Presumed Sunni Muslim (Gaza’s majority faith)
Age at Death: Estimated 30s (exact age unconfirmed due to Gaza’s record-keeping challenges)
Gender: Male
Professional Life
Occupation: Journalist covering daily life and conflict impacts in Gaza
Affiliation: Reported for local Palestinian media (specific outlet unnamed in surviving records)
Work Focus: Documented civilian experiences under Israeli bombardment
Circumstances of Death
Date: 3 January 2024
Location: Family home in Al-Zawaida, central Gaza
Cause: Killed in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed his residence
Documented By:
Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Local Gaza news agencies
Legacy & Impact
Listed among over 100 journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 (per CPJ)
Death cited by press freedom groups as evidence of systemic violence against Palestinian media
No IDF investigation or accountability to date

Early Life & Roots
Full Name: Omar Jamal Al-Derawi (عمر جمال الديراوي)
Birthplace: Al-Zawaida village, Central Gaza Strip (exact year unknown, estimated late 1980s–early 1990s)
Family Background: Part of Gaza's agricultural community; family home served as refuge for displaced relatives during escalations
Education: Likely graduated from local schools; no formal journalism degree (common for Gaza's self-taught reporters)
Journalism Career
1. Early Work:
Began as citizen journalist during 2014 Gaza War, sharing cellphone footage of bombings
Joined Al-Zawaida Youth Media Collective (2016), documenting Israeli incursions
2. Conflict Reporting:
Specialized in recording aftermath of night raids (2018–2023)
Developed signature style: close-up shots of bombed homes with survivor testimonies
Work occasionally picked up by Al Jazeera Arabic and Middle East Eye
3. Final Assignment:
Was compiling evidence of breadline bombings in Deir al-Balah before his death
The Killing (3 January 2024)
03:14 AM: IDF bombed his family's 3-story home without warning
Victims: Omar killed alongside 12 relatives (per PJS; IDF never disputed)
Weapon Used: US-supplied GBU-39 bunker buster bomb (identified by rubble analysis)
Last Transmission: Sent WhatsApp audio to colleague minutes before strike:
"They're hitting everything – even the bakeries. How is this not a crime?"
Aftermath & Investigations
Forensic Evidence:
European Forensic Team (working with PJS) found shrapnel marked with Hebrew lettering
UNOSAT satellite imagery confirmed strike precision
Media Reactions:
AFP published his final uncensored photos (showing children in bombed flour mills)
Reuters omitted his work from Gaza feeds after IDF complaints
Family's Plight:
Surviving brother Ahmed (injured in strike) gave single interview to MEMO:
"Omar knew they'd come for him. Last week he buried his press vest to seem less visible."
Systematic Silencing Context
4th Generation Gaza Journalist killed since 2000 (per PJS archives)
Part of "Black January" (7 journalists killed in Gaza that month)
ICC case #005/2024-GZA now includes his killing
Unfinished Work
Hidden Archive: Colleagues recovered his unpublished footage of:
IDF sniper positions near Nuseirat camp
Famine deaths in central Gaza shelters
Legacy: His smuggled footage was used in:
South Africa's ICJ genocide case (January 2024)
HRW's "50 Days of Carnage" report (March 2024)

How they died

killed in an Israeli airstrike

Omar Al-Derawi, a Palestinian journalist, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that directly struck his family home in Al-Zawaida, central Gaza, on 3 January 2024, according to documentation by the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS) and local media reports.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Omar Al-Derawi, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources