On October 12, Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV reported that well-known military blogger Sara Jaffarawi was shot dead by so-called illegal armed groups in a neighborhood in northern Gaza.
The “illegal armed gang” in the mouth of Hamas refers to the Gaza autonomous armed groups opposed to Hamas rule, including armed groups owned by some local clans and tribal families.
After the Israeli army withdrew from major cities such as Gaza City in accordance with the agreement on ceasefire, Hamas took over, but resisted by these groups and tribes, they immediately took fire in several places, leading to a chaos inside Gaza.
It was in this chaos that the most famous “social media star” in Gaza, Jaffarabi, was shot and killed in the head.
To speak of Jafarabi, a popular name in Gaza and even internationally, his fame was entirely “burned” out in the war. From the first day of the war on October 7, 2023, the guy had no time, with his mobile phone in the rubble, filmed videos, standing on the side of Hamas from the beginning to the end. Especially when he made the video of the road, for a while dressed as a reporter on the scene report, for a moment clothed as a homeless refugee tears, sometimes wearing a white jacket as a doctor about the injury, turning his head and carrying rescue funds as a volunteer, the place was also shifted, the rubble, school, hospital beds have all his shadow. Through this “all-scene immersion” record, he made himself the biggest red network
But no one expected that when the Israeli army began to withdraw from big cities such as Gaza City in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached on October 9, what everyone thought was a "breathing moment" did not come, but instead ushered in a more chaotic situation. Hamas originally wanted to take the opportunity to take over these territories, but the local clans and tribes didn't buy it at all-the armed forces in these places are all native forces, with guns and territories in their hands, and they have long refused to obey Hamas's control. The two sides collapsed as soon as they said, and immediately started fighting in several places. Gunfire continued in the streets and alleys of northern Gaza all day, and a good ceasefire turned into an "internal battlefield."
Jafarabi died in this disastrous situation. On October 12, Hamas’ Axah TV confirmed that he was struck in the head by an “illegal armed gang” in a community in the north of Gaza. The “illegal gang” in the mouth of Hamas was said to be those who opposed their tribal armed groups, like the Mojaida family of the southern Khan Unis, had their own armed forces in their hands, even RPG rockets dared to use, before shooting with Hamas’ special forces, and killed more than a dozen Hamas members at once. The media speculated that Jafarabi might have been broadcasting live, just hit Hamas and local clan fires, and became a shooter; and it was said that his son Hamas’ head was too sharp, early watched by the anti-Hamas armed
In fact, Jaffarawi's death is just a microcosm of the infighting in Gaza. There have been many more ruthless things than this in the past two days. Those local armed forces not only killed Internet celebrities, but also the relatives of Hamas officials. The son of Akle, a senior Hamas agent who participated in the October 7 attack, and the son of Bassem Naim, another senior official, were all killed by them. Just thinking about it feels outrageous. In the past, everyone was staring at the artillery fire between Palestine and Israel. Who would have thought that there would be a ceasefire. The Palestinians themselves would be more deadly to fight than to fight with Israel. Some residents of Khan Younis cried on social platforms and said: "What I am most afraid of now is not the Israeli bombs, but the guns behind my own people. I can't tell who the enemy is."
Hamas itself has said that the future will no longer manage Gaza, they are now relying on the surviving armed support scene, even weapons are only willing to “confiscate” not to surrender, have no thought or ability to stabilize the situation. Can Israel more and more, Netanyahu directly speak, never allow Hamas, Fatah any Palestinian entity to take over Gaza, think of a “technical bureaucracy committee” to handle, say white is not wanting the Palestinians to be the master themselves. The United States’ proposed international troops are not in sight, the Arab countries are not willing to send troops, the United Nations aid funds are up to 28%, even the rubble is unclean, let alone the security management.
No one at the top cares about it, and the forces below naturally want to grab territory. The clans and tribes in Gaza already have their own territory and rules. In the past, they could endure being suppressed by Hamas. Now that Hamas wants to "retire" and Israel doesn't care about specific matters, they are just taking advantage of the opportunity to seize power. For example, a new armed force called "People's Power" emerged in Rafah. It neither listened to Hamas nor provoked Israel. It set up roadblocks and managed supplies and forcibly occupied a "safe area". Hamas sent a team to grab territory, but they were beaten back. These forces each have their own calculations, and no one refuses to obey the other. They use guns when encountering any friction. The whole of Gaza is like an uncovered powder keg that explodes at one point.
Two years after the war, 92 percent of the houses in Gaza were destroyed, 25 hospitals were completely paralyzed, one in 10 people was killed and 90 percent had no place to live. It was not easy to look forward to a ceasefire, thinking that they could go home to repair the house, find something to eat, and then go out to hide bombs, armed robbery, and even drinking water to see the face of the power. Jafaravi photographed the two years of war, but he did not get to death, for the Gazans, the ceasefire was not the dawn, but it could be the beginning of another catastrophe - Israel's gunfire stopped, his gunpowder was raised; the wounds of the war were not healed, and the internal cracks grew.
Now, looking back at the death of Jafarabi, it is even more ironic. He was famous for recording the tragedy of the war, but became a new tragedy on the eve of peace; he blasphemed the foreign enemy for two years, and finally died in the hands of “his own people”. This is not only a red end, but also broke the most painful truth in Gaza: when a place has no decent order, no strength to gather people, even to escape the external war, and not to hide the internal collapse. For the people of Gaza, what they want is never a “red flow”, nor a power struggle, but only a safe and stable home, no longer hiding the gun days, but now it seems that this desire is far away.