His five-year-old son, Musab, held his father’s camera and said: “My father was martyred in the field. I’ll carry on his path when I grow up
By Palestinian Journalists Protection Center
Admin I Tuesday, June 03, 2025
GAZA, Palestine – “Tomorrow the war will end, we’ll clear the rubble, and build a home even more beautiful,” were the words Palestinian journalist Nour Abdo used each evening to reassure his wife and children, as warplanes circled over northern Gaza.
He believed that an honest image could defy oblivion, that the camera could convey what words cannot. On the morning of May 7, 2025, Nour was martyred while documenting the aftermath of an airstrike that targeted Al-Karama School in eastern Al-Tuffah neighborhood, where displaced families had sought shelter. Though he was martyred, his lens remained a witness to the event.
A Journalist Martyred in the Line of Duty
Nour Abdo, 29, a field correspondent for Al-Sharq News Agency, was wearing his press vest when he was directly struck in what eyewitnesses described as a “sudden and violent” airstrike.
Just hours before his death, he told his wife Shaimaa, “I feel like I’m living my final hours.”
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, Nour had committed himself to frontline coverage. He was among the first journalists to arrive at bombing sites—alerting civilians to danger, then documenting the damage.
He had lost his brother Mohammad, also a journalist, in 2007—an event that deeply affected him. Yet he remained steadfast, repeatedly affirming his commitment to journalistic work despite the risks. He once told a colleague: “I will keep telling the truth until the end.”
More Than a Journalist
Nour’s role extended beyond reporting. He took part in volunteer efforts across Gaza—distributing aid and participating in recreational activities with children, particularly in camps housing the displaced.
He was known for a personal prayer: “O Allah, if You choose me, let me go whole—not in pieces.” According to his family, he died just as he had prayed.
Despite his home being bombed, he refused to leave northern Gaza, determined to stay in his community and continue his work. He assured his family: “Reconstruction will begin once the war ends.”
His five-year-old son, Musab, held his father’s camera and said: “My father was martyred in the field. I’ll carry on his path when I grow up.”
Nour left behind four children: Musab (5), Hamed (3), Dalal (11 months), and baby Noor, born just one day before he was martyred.
Calls for an International Investigation
Nour Abdo’s killing is part of a long string of violations against Palestinian journalists during the ongoing war. According to the Palestinian Journalists Protection Center (PJPC), over 220 journalists have been killed since the war began—what the center described as a “systematic targeting of Palestinian media.”
In a statement, PJPC said: “The continued killing of journalists in Gaza without accountability constitutes a war crime and a grave violation of international humanitarian law.” The center called for an independent international investigation into these violations.
Colleagues remember Nour as professional and dedicated—doing his duty until his final moment. The last photo he captured documented the site just minutes before the strike. Though the camera went silent, his voice lives on in the stories left unfinished.
