ISM mourns the murder of Wafa Al Udaini and her family

ISM mourns the murder of Wafa Al Udaini, a Palestinian activist and journalist with whom we were honored to work. Israeli forces bombed her home in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza in the early hours of Monday morning, September 30, killing Wafa, her husband Munir Atiyeh Al-Udaini, her five-year-old daughter Balsam and her seven-month-old child son Tamim . She leaves behind her two young sons.

Wafa was a committed and passionate activist and coordinator from Gaza. She majored in English at Al-Aqsa University with the intention of becoming a teacher and translator. But her anger and frustration at how the mainstream media “distorts our view of Palestine” led her to a career as a journalist. She reported from Gaza during the 2008, 2014-2015 invasions (in which her home was destroyed) and the current genocide, in which she and her family were displaced three times.

Wafa was committed to educating Palestinian youth and giving them the skills to tell their stories to the world. Her work ranged from leading a female youth group committed to changing stereotypes about Palestinians to founding the Gaza-based 16th October Group, a group of English-speaking young journalists and activists. ​​​​​​​

“Being a journalist in Gaza is not an easy task because every day you face the risk of being killed, injured or arrested by the Israeli occupying forces.” In fact, hundreds of journalists have been killed by Israeli fire. “Everyone is a target.” – Wafa Al Udaini

She is the 174th journalist killed by Israel since October 7, 2023. Her killing was condemned by the government media office in Gaza and the Palestinian Media Forum.

The last article Wafa wrote was: “There is no protective clothing for journalists in Gaza.” In it she described the complete lack of protection for journalists in Gaza and colleagues killed by Israeli forces. Journalists in Gaza worked “on empty stomachs and often without electricity to report on the genocide of their people” amid the constant threat of kidnapping, torture or murder by Israeli forces, she wrote.

E., who volunteered at ISM and worked with Wafa, said: “I first met Wafa when she wrote about the Great March of Return and life in Gaza under Israeli siege. “One thing that impressed me about working with her was her conviction and determination to stay true to what she believed was right, even at great personal cost.”

“As the genocide grew worse and it became clear that Israeli forces would kill anyone who dared report it, Wafa continued to faithfully document the atrocities around them and how Palestinians tried to help each other survive.” Even after When she was shot at by Israeli tanks, she continued to tell the stories of Gazans until the end and told me she wanted to “help spread the truth.”

“To me, Wafa was a hero and one of the bravest people I ever knew. “Rest in power, Wafa, and may you live on in our memories and the truths you spoke.”

Neta Golan, co-founder of ISM, said: “Wafa and her family were murdered and dismembered because she committed herself to bringing the world a message from Gaza about the realities of Israeli colonialism in English.” She believed in us. She believed that if we knew, we would do everything we could to end the genocide and support the liberation of Palestine. She risked her life to tell us about the reality of the unfolding genocide, and the Israeli occupation murdered her and her family members for it. But the truth cannot be silenced. “We are committed to Wafa’s mission to amplify Palestinian voices and we are committed to heeding their call.”