Zaher Al Afghani

Their life

A self-taught journalist from Deir Al-Balah, Al Afghani dedicated his career to documenting Gaza's silent crises—from medicine shortages to mental health collapse under blockade. His reporting for Mithaq Media Network gave voice to marginalized groups, including disabled civilians and orphaned children. On October 22, 2023, an Israeli 2,000-lb bomb erased his home, his unpublished investigation on hospital power cuts, and 12 members of his family in seconds.

"The Chronicler of Gaza's Invisible Wounds"
A self-taught journalist from Deir Al-Balah, Al Afghani dedicated his career to documenting Gaza's silent crises—from medicine shortages to mental health collapse under blockade. His reporting for Mithaq Media Network gave voice to marginalized groups, including disabled civilians and orphaned children. On October 22, 2023, an Israeli 2,000-lb bomb erased his home, his unpublished investigation on hospital power cuts, and 12 members of his family in seconds.
Legacy:
Survived by his nephew Ahmed, who rebuilt his archive from buried notebooks.
Posthumous "Zaher's List" tracks 400+ Gaza patients who died from medicine shortages.

How they died

Blast trauma & crush injuries

A plea from the family

In the aftermath of the airstrike that claimed the life of journalist Zaher Al Afghani, his grieving family has called on the international community to recognize the ongoing targeting of journalists in Gaza and to take urgent action to protect civilians and media workers. “We have lost not only a father and a brother, but a voice for the voiceless,” one relative said through tears. “Zaher was committed to truth. He stayed behind to tell the world what was happening to us — and for that, he was killed.” The family urged international human rights organizations, press freedom advocates, and global leaders to hold those responsible to account and to stop the relentless bombing of residential areas. “How many more journalists must die before the world acts? His home was not a military site — it was a place of love and safety. Why was it targeted?” Their voices join a growing chorus of Palestinian families who have lost loved ones in strikes that have destroyed homes, hospitals, and schools. In their grief, they continue to ask for justice, accountability, and an end to the impunity that allows such tragedies to repeat.

Why we remember them

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

References & sources