Sari Mansour
Sari Mansour was killed by an Israeli airstrike.
On 18 November 2023, during the Gaza war, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, striking a location where QNN staff were present. The attack resulted in the deaths of QNN director Sari Mansour and freelance photographer Hassouneh Salim. UNESCO condemned the incident, emphasizing the need for protection of media professionals in conflict zones and calling for an independent investigation to determine the circumstances of the tragedy. Their deaths highlight the dangers faced by journalists reporting from active conflict areas.
Biography
Sari Mansour was the director of Quds News Network (QNN), a Palestinian youth-led news agency founded in 2011, which became widely known for its fast social media coverage of escalations in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The network, staffed by volunteer correspondents across Palestine, aimed to expose the actions of the Israeli occupation and gained particular popularity among young Palestinians. Mansour played a key role in overseeing the network’s operations and reporting during critical moments of the conflict. Alongside him, freelance photographer Hassouneh Salim contributed to documenting events in Gaza through on-the-ground photojournalism.
Sari Mansour led QNN at a time when social media became a crucial platform for Palestinian news, giving the network a large following and influence comparable to established outlets like Al Jazeera. QNN, known for its fast distribution of videos and news updates, often covered military escalations, protests, and other conflict-related events. Mansour’s leadership involved coordinating volunteer reporters, managing content dissemination, and navigating the challenges of reporting under occupation and amid political scrutiny. Hassouneh Salim, a freelance photographer for QNN, was recognized for capturing compelling images from conflict zones, contributing to QNN’s reputation as a prominent Palestinian media outlet. Both journalists were working in central Gaza during the intense conflict of 2023.
Sources & References
Quds News Network (Arabic: شبكة قدس الإخبارية, romanized: Shabakat Quds al-Ikhbārīyah; QNN) is a Palestinian youth news agency founded in 2011. The agency is staffed with volunteer correspondents across Palestine. The network gained widespread following on social media around 2015 through its fast distribution video coverage of escalations in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which made it as popular as Al Jazeera, appealing particularly to young Palestinians. Quds News Network Abbreviation: QNN Established: 2011; 14 years ago Official language: Arabic, English Website: qudsnen.co According to reports, the Palestinian Authority blocked QNN's website in 2019 as part of a crackdown on dissent. Some of its pages were also blocked by social media platforms in 2019 and 2023. QNN states it is independent, funds itself through advertisements, and aims to expose the acts of the Israeli occupation. Nevertheless, it has gained a reputation for being associated with militant groups and has been described as affiliated with Hamas.1 en.m.wikipedia.org Open source
Two more journalists have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in the besieged Gaza Strip as the regime pushes ahead with its genocidal war against the territory. According to Palestinian media outlets, Sari Mansour was killed, along with his colleague Hassouna Salim, in a late Saturday Israeli airstrike on the camp. The two journalists lost their lives after Sari Mansour’s home came under an Israeli bombardment in Bureij camp, which is located in the central Gaza Strip. The new fatalities bring to more than 50 the number of journalists killed in Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. Israel’s brutal war, which started on October 7 following a surprise operation by Gaza-based resistance movements, has so far killed at least 12,300 Palestinians, including more than 5,000 children. More than 29,800 people been been also injured. Analysts believe that the Israeli regime has launched a preplanned campaign of targeted killing of journalists in order to hide its war crimes in Gaza.2 presstv.ir Open source