Why is there a vigil for Saleh al-Jafarawi in Ithaca on October 17?

Why is the Ithaca Committee for Justice in Palestine ( holding a vigil in memory of Saleh al-Jafarawi on Friday afternoon, October 17? I had never heard of him before a couple of days ago. He was apparently a Palestinian journalist/influencer in Gaza, and he was killed a few days ago, on October 12, but not by Israel. According to a report from Haaretz,

Clashes and gunfire erupted in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood between Hamas security forces and the Doghmush clan militia, which opposes the group, according to Palestinian reports.

Journalist and social activist Saleh al-Jafarawi, a well-known social media personality in Gaza, was killed during the exchange of fire. According to reports, al-Jafarawi was killed while covering the events.

According to the Times of Israel, "He gained wide attention with a video he recorded on October 7, 2023, in which he praised Hamas’s attack." Arab News also reported, "He gained notoriety after the release of a video in which he appeared to praise Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel." Link to the video on X: https://x.com/aggelos210/status/1977456702015373587 (not embedding it here).

Some details about his life from the Wikipedia entry about him (accessed October 16, 1:32 am).

Early Life

Saleh al-Jafarawi was born in Gaza City in the Gaza Strip, on 22 November 1997. He attended the Islamic University of Gaza, where he received a bachelor's degree in media and journalism in 2019. He began producing content around 2018 on the Great March of Return, during which he covered the situation on the group as a freelance journalist for local media outlets.[9] He also worked independently as a freelance photographer and journalist on social media platforms. His reporting style often involved documenting civilian suffering and destruction during Israeli military operations in Gaza.[10][11][12]

Career

Al-Jafarawi became particularly well-known during the Gaza war, when his videos from the conflict zones went viral on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. He amassed a large following, and his content was widely shared.[11][12][13]

In November 2023, pro-Israel influencers falsely claimed that al-Jafarawi had faked a scene of being hospitalized and labelled the video as "Pallywood". A Voice of America investigation found that the video in the hospital was not of al-Jafarawi but a Palestinian child.[14]

One of his videos surpassed 51 million views, while others exceeded 30 million. Israeli media outlets described him as someone who "exploits tragedies for fame," and referred to him as "Mr. FAFO".[15] The Times of Israel wrote that "he first gained wide attention with a video he recorded on October 7, 2023, in which he praised Hamas’s rocket attacks. Later in the war, he filmed himself crying and reacting in terror to Israel’s airstrikes."[16]

His Instagram account was suspended "indefinitely" in March 2025 forcing al-Jafarawi to use a backup account.[17][13]

In late September 2025, al-Jafarawi's followers raised alarm after the Israel Defense Forces Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee alleged that al-Jafarawi was affiliated with Hamas. His followers feared that, like other Palestinian journalists in Gaza accused of associations with Hamas, that al-Jafarawi could be targeted in the near future. They drew comparison to the journalist Anas al-Sharif, who was targeted and killed in Gaza by Israel with similar allegations.[18]

I still don't understand why Ithaca CJP is holding a vigil for him in particular, especially considering his early support for Hamas's murderous attack on Israel. Judging from the Instagram post, aa number of other local organizations seem to be cosponsoring or supporting this vigil - Ithaca Food Not Bombs, Ithaca People's University, IC Students for Palestine, and Cornell Progressives.

This is what National SJP posted to Instagram a couple of days ago (I couldn't find it on Instagram - my screenshot is from an article in the New York Post). At least the Ithaca CJP didn't reproduce the National SJP image of him and their bloodthirsty slogans against "collaborators."