On October 25, 2023, Saed Al-Halabi, a driver for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his daughter’s house in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to his employer and wife.
Ola al-Halabi, Saed’s wife, told CPJ that Al-Halabi was working non-stop during the war, and she was shocked to discover that her husband had been killed along with 20 of his relatives and members of his daughter’s husband’s family, “including Saed’s cousins, our granddaughter, and our daughter’s mother-in-law.”
Ahmed Zughabar, Al-Halabi’s colleague, told CPJ that he was exceptionally committed to maintaining strong personal relationships with his colleagues. He was also attentive to his coworkers, regularly checking in on them, asking about them, and staying in touch with them on important occasions.
Al-Halabi was previously counted as a journalist in CPJ’s database; his status was changed to media worker after a rigorous verification process in June 2026 that included desk research and talking to two credible sources from his outlet and his family, who confirmed that he was a driver for the outlet.