A widely known Palestinian protester and influencer, popularly recognized on-line as “Mr FAFO,” was reportedly killed on Sunday amid violent clashes between Hamas and rival Palestinian factions in Gaza.The 27-year-old Saleh al-Jafarawi turned referred to as “Mr FAFO” — quick for “F** Round and Discover Out”* — in Israeli media as a result of he allegedly celebrated the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, which killed over 1,200 civilians and noticed many taken hostage. Later within the conflict, he was additionally filmed crying in response to Israel’s airstrikes.Blended reactions poured in following Jafarawi’s loss of life. Many Israelis cheered the information, calling him a Hamas propagandist who fuelled anti-Israel sentiment. However, pro-Palestinian activists mourned his loss, remembering him as a passionate voice who documented the battle in Gaza.Footage circulating on-line reportedly confirmed his physique, with experiences suggesting he was killed whereas masking the incident.After celebrating the October 7 invasion, “Mr FAFO” made extra movies wherein he pretended to be a physician, a wounded affected person, a fighter, and a journalist. These movies went viral however drew widespread ridicule, particularly from pro-Israel viewers, who noticed them as pretend, staged, and “lazy propaganda” slightly than severe reporting.Through the battle, he confronted accusations on social media of pocketing tens of millions of {dollars} raised as donations for Gaza residents, together with cash reportedly meant to construct a kids’s hospital, experiences Occasions of Israel.
Was Mr. FAFO a part of Hamas?
“Controversial Gaza activist, derogatorily known as ‘Mr FAFO’ as a result of his performative antics and well-known for his help of Hamas and elevating an estimated $10 million to construct a kids’s hospital, solely to pocket the cash, Saleh Al-Jafarawi, was killed right this moment by unknown assailants,” mentioned Palestinian-American anti-Hamas activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib.Alkhatib added that Jafarawi was allegedly accompanying Hamas’s “Saham” unit throughout clashes with the Doghmosh clan in Gaza Metropolis, probably performing as a cameraman. Hamas-affiliated channels have introduced his loss of life, probably to incite violence towards the clan. Alkhatib recommended three doable culprits: Hamas to grab his digital pockets and stir civil conflict; the Doghmosh clan in retaliation for Hamas raids; or anti-Hamas fighters concentrating on a terror propagandist. He added that Jafarawi’s physique reportedly confirmed indicators of torture.“For the final two years, I’ve adopted Hamas content material creator Saleh Al-Jafrawi (‘Mr FAFO’) with a mixture of horror and admiration. I used to be engrossed. Mr FAFO had phenomenal vitality, charisma, and creativity. All the time popping up in a unique costume, as soon as a affected person then a radiologist, a jihadist then a overseas correspondent, a ham actor however at all times with panache and chutzpah, always discovering ingenious methods to seize new audiences and inform his story,” mentioned former Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy.
