On October 25, 2023, Jamal Al-Faqaawi, a Palestinian journalist for the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Mithaq Media, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Khan Yunis, a city in southern Gaza.
In June 2026, CPJ undertook a review of its documentation of journalists and media workers killed in the Israel-Gaza war since 2023.
As part of that review, CPJ identified and examined an obituary published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in June 2026 which referred to Al-Faqaawi as a member of the group’s “Central Support and Supply Unit.” The PIJ obituary did not specify when Al-Faqaawi’s alleged affiliation or activity with the group occurred, nor did it claim that he was carrying out a militant role at the time of his death.
CPJ conducted additional desk research and interviewed three independent sources, who told the organization that Al-Faqaawi continued working as a journalist throughout the war. Reporting also found that Al-Faqaawi had been seeking cancer treatment outside Gaza and returned to the Strip only weeks before October 7, 2023. Sources described his health at the time as frail.
Based on the totality of the information available, CPJ was unable to determine that Al-Faqaawi was an active combatant, and therefore, he remains classified as a journalist under the organization’s methodology, and has been retained in CPJ’s database.
This determination reflects the evidence available to CPJ at the time of its verification process. CPJ continues to review its documentation when credible new information emerges and updates its records where warranted.