In a scene heavy with pain and sorrow, Palestinians in the city of Deir al-Balah bid farewell to journalist Ahmad Abu Mteir, who was martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house used by several journalists in the town of al-Zuwaida in central Gaza.

The farewell outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital was deeply emotional, as his colleagues’ tears mingled with applause and prayers — a fitting goodbye to a voice that carried the truth despite the roar of warplanes and the chaos of destruction.

Words Stronger Than Bullets

Ahmad Abu Mteir was one of those journalists who believed that words could be stronger than bullets, and that an image could immortalize the truth more powerfully than any statement. Every day, he carried his camera into the field, unafraid of death, driven by his mission to document reality and convinced that his work was both a human and national duty.

The airstrike that ended his life was not merely an attack on a person, but a painful blow to the spirit of free journalism in Gaza, and to the dream Ahmad carried in his heart — to see his homeland live one day in peace. He died performing his duty, leaving behind a legacy of photographs and reports that tell the story of his people’s suffering and preserve it for history.

His colleagues spoke of him with words that captured a lifetime of dedication; they described him as kind-hearted, warm, and fearless — a man who always stood in the front lines, fearing only that the truth might be buried beneath the rubble.

With the passing of Ahmad Abu Mteir, Palestine lost one of its devoted sons, and journalism lost another witness to truth. Yet his voice will remain alive in the memories of those who knew him, and his lens will continue to tell the story of a people who endure despite the pain — the story of a journalist who may have departed in body, but left behind a light that will never fade.