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Key Points
- Fatima Hassouna, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist, was killed by an Israeli airstrike.
- Hassouna’s work documenting life in Gaza was featured in a film selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
- At least 175 journalists have reportedly been killed since the Hamas-Israel war began in 2023.
A young Palestinian photojournalist has been killed by an Israeli airstrike on her family home , just days before learning that her work would be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Fatima Hassouna died alongside 10 members of her family, including her pregnant sister, when their home in Gaza City’s Al-Touffah neighbourhood was hit by an airstrike.
The 25-year-old spent years documenting life in Gaza through photos and video, capturing everyday scenes of grief, survival and defiance.
Her work was recently featured in Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, a new documentary by director Sepideh Farsi, which explores the lives of Gazan women through a series of video exchanges.
Just one day before the fatal airstrike, Hassouna had been notified the film had been selected to screen at this year’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.
“If I die, I want a loud death,” Hassouna wrote in a recent Instagram post. “A death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time.”
Humanitarian group Plan International, which worked with Hassouna through its She Leads program, described her as “a passionate advocate and a talented photographer,” and called for her killing to be independently investigated.
Dr Unni Krishnan, global humanitarian director of Plan International said Fatima had been “a beacon of inspiration for all of us”.
“Through her fearless storytelling and unwavering courage in the face of conflict, she gave the world a window into the human cost of war, and into the heart of Gaza. We came to know Fatima not just as a powerful voice, but as a person full of love for life, for art, and above all, for the people of Gaza.
“Her legacy will stay with us forever.
“Through the conflict, she showed extraordinary resilience, and amidst a daily struggle to survive she was a fierce ambassador for youth. In an article she wrote last year, she asked the world a question which has resonated with us ever since — ‘aren’t we human, just like you?’
“We are devastated and our thoughts are with her surviving family, friends and loved ones.”
The Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center said it was mourning the loss of Hassouna.
The Israel Defence Forces said on Wednesday that the target of its strike was “a terrorist in Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade” and that steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 175 journalists and media workers are among the more than tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
In March, Israel’s military, abandoning a two-month ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.
Israeli officials say the offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarised.
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