Key Takeaways:
- Palestinian media reported that Muhammad al-Najjar was a journalist killed in a strike on September 30. The Israel Defense Forces said he was a Hamas member who infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7.
- Palestinian news accounts shared footage of Muhammad al-Najjar’s family grieving over his body, draped in a blue press vest. His Facebook page shows open support for Hamas and its military apparatus.
- In January 2026, Muhammad al-Najjar described Ahmed Fakhri Shubair on Facebook as “one of the founders of the military media and its commander in Khan Younis.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on September 30 that it killed Muhammad al-Najjar, a Hamas member who posed as a journalist, infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre, and was involved in advancing “attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.” The IDF said it eliminated al-Najjar because of the threat he posed.
Palestinian media outlets reported that al-Najjar, a journalist, was killed in a strike that targeted a group of citizens north of Khan Younis on September 30. Following the strike, Palestinian news and social media accounts published footage of al-Najjar’s family grieving over his body, which was draped in a blue “press” vest.
The image of a family grieving over a loved one is powerful, but the Palestinian media coverage gave an incomplete picture of who al-Najjar was. The evidence published by the IDF showing al-Najjar standing in front of what appears to be a burning IDF tank on October 7 is one example of what that coverage left out.
Furthermore, a close examination of al-Najjar’s Facebook page suggests he supported Hamas.
Al-Najjar’s Support for Terrorism
The page, owned by al-Najjar, who goes by “Abu Aziz,” shows open support for Hamas and its military apparatus. On October 7, 2023, he posted a photo of a rifle with the caption, “Exclusive: the weapon of one of the soldiers seized east of Khuza’a,” and linked it to a Telegram news channel. He later praised October 7 as “the raised banner of victory.”
His eulogies tie him to men he describes in military terms. In January 2026, he described Ahmed Fakhri Shubair as “one of the founders of the military media and its commander in Khan Younis.” He marked the anniversary of the death of “the commander” Nour al-Din Baraka. In 2025, he attended the burial of nine “mujahideen (fighters)” from Khuza’a and listed each by name. However, his Facebook page does not show him armed, in uniform, or wearing faction insignia.
It appears that al-Najjar also had other social media accounts, including Instagram and X. Much like his Facebook page, both accounts contained posts praising Hamas and other terrorist groups. Both accounts contain a link to GoGetFunding.com, an online crowdfunding and donation platform. However, the fundraising page appears to have been disabled.
A Broader Trend of Terrorists in Press Vests
Al-Najjar’s case is not isolated. On Thursday, the IDF published a database of 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza who were presented as journalists but who, the IDF says, served in terrorist organizations. The IDF said 118 belonged to Hamas’s military apparatus and 49 to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Seventeen of those named took part in the October 7 attack. According to the IDF, some have worked for major outlets, including Reuters, CNN, the BBC, the AP, and AFP.
The IDF maintains that it “does not deliberately and systematically operate against journalists, but against terrorist organizations.” Hamas and its allies understand the value of a press vest. It turns a slain operative into a slain reporter, and it shapes how the world reads the war. Al-Najjar’s own posts reveal the man behind the vest: a supporter of the October 7 attack who glorified Hamas members and mourned its commanders as his own.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
