27-year-old Saleh al-Jafarawi became known as “Mr FAFO”

A well-known Palestinian protester and influencer, popularly known online as “Mr FAFO,” was reportedly killed on Sunday amid violent clashes between Hamas and rival Palestinian factions in Gaza.The 27-year-old Saleh al-Jafarawi became known as “Mr FAFO” — short for “F** Around and Find Out”* — in Israeli media because he allegedly celebrated the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed over 1,200 civilians and saw many taken hostage. Later in the war, he was also filmed crying in reaction to Israel’s airstrikes.Mixed reactions poured in following Jafarawi’s death. Many Israelis cheered the news, calling him a Hamas propagandist who fuelled anti-Israel sentiment. On the other hand, pro-Palestinian activists mourned his loss, remembering him as a passionate voice who documented the struggle in Gaza.Footage circulating online reportedly showed his body, with reports suggesting he was killed while covering the incident.After celebrating the October 7 invasion, “Mr FAFO” made more videos in which he pretended to be a doctor, a wounded patient, a fighter, and a journalist. These videos went viral but drew widespread ridicule, especially from pro-Israel viewers, who saw them as fake, staged, and “lazy propaganda” rather than serious reporting.During the conflict, he faced accusations on social media of pocketing millions of dollars raised as donations for Gaza residents, including money reportedly intended to build a children’s hospital, reports Times of Israel.

Was Mr. FAFO part of Hamas?

“Controversial Gaza activist, derogatorily called ‘Mr FAFO’ due to his performative antics and well known for his support of Hamas and raising an estimated $10 million to build a children’s hospital, only to pocket the money, Saleh Al-Jafarawi, was killed today by unknown assailants,” said Palestinian-American anti-Hamas activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib.Alkhatib added that Jafarawi was allegedly accompanying Hamas’s “Saham” unit during clashes with the Doghmosh clan in Gaza City, possibly acting as a cameraman. Hamas-affiliated channels have announced his death, possibly to incite violence against the clan. Alkhatib suggested three possible culprits: Hamas to seize his digital wallet and stir civil war; the Doghmosh clan in retaliation for Hamas raids; or anti-Hamas fighters targeting a terror propagandist. He added that Jafarawi’s body reportedly showed signs of torture.“For the last two years, I have followed Hamas content creator Saleh Al-Jafrawi (‘Mr FAFO’) with a mix of horror and admiration. I was engrossed. Mr FAFO had phenomenal energy, charisma, and creativity. Always popping up in a different costume, once a patient then a radiologist, a jihadist then a foreign correspondent, a ham actor but always with panache and chutzpah, constantly finding inventive ways to grab new audiences and tell his story,” said former Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy.