Fatma Hassona, a 25-year-old Palestinian freelance photographer, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in the Al Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, before dawn on April 16, 2025, according to multiple media reports.
Hassona contributed to several news outlets, including the local platform Untold Palestine, the U.S.-based outlet Mondoweiss, and as an anonymous contributor to The Guardian.
She also featured prominently in Iranian director Sepideh Farsi's documentary "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk," which was due to premiere during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. It was one of the nine films selected by ACID, an association of film directors promoting independent films, for its parallel program at the festival.
In a tribute to Hassona, the festival said that the ACID Cannes program announced on April 15, 2025.
"The following day, the film's protagonist, Fatma Hassona, and several members of her family were killed by a missile that hit their home. The 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist had made it her mission to bear witness to the daily lives of the inhabitants of Gaza in 2025 through her work and dedication, despite the risks associated with the war in the Palestinian enclave."
It expressed "dread and profound sadness at this tragedy," and said the documentary's screening on May 15 in Cannes "will be, in addition to the essage of the film itself, a way to honor the memory of Fatma Hassona."
Hassona’s brother, Jihad, told CPJ that he spoke to his sister at 1 a.m., about an hour before she and five other siblings were killed.
“Our father sustained life-threatening injuries and our mother was moderately wounded,” he said.
“Fatma got engaged last January. Her wedding was scheduled to take place just in a week,” Jihad added.
The U.K.-based humanitarian organization Plan International said that Hassona had taken part in the She Leads program, which supports young women to become leaders, through which she "bravely shared multiple accounts of daily life in Gaza" in several media outlets.
Upon the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in January, she had been optimistic for the future and was looking forward to spending more time with her fiancé, saying that 'I am looking forward to my life after the war and I am confident that beautiful things will come," it added.
In a video shared widely on social media after her death, Hassona spoke about Gaza being an important part of her identity, both as a human being and as a Palestinian.
She chronicled the life of people in Gaza on her Instagram account.
“I’m happy that my photos are still going around to many places and being sold, and that … maybe my photos will live longer than I do, and that’s what makes me feel at peace,” she posted.
CPJ’s email seeking comment from the Israel Defense Forces’ North America Media Desk did not receive an immediate response.