Condemnation of Salah al-Jafarawi has come from ordinary Gazans and the PA, in whose name he claimed to be fundraising.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
A Gazan who has gained fame using his social media skills to promote Hamas ever since the war between Israel and the terrorist organization began, stands accused of embezzling $4 million he ostensibly raised for a Gaza hospital.
Salah al-Jafarawi asked his followers online to donate towards the rebuilding of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, saying that his appeal was being made “in coordination with the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah and Gaza.”
He used the Palestinian Authority (PA) ministry’s logo, as well as that of a Kuwaiti charity, seemingly without the latter’s knowledge, to legitimize his claim of acting in some kind of official capacity.
The PA, which pays civil servants in Gaza but has had no say in the running of any governmental functions there since Hamas overthrew it in 2007, quickly denied having anything to do with that campaign or any other private fundraising attempts for Gaza.
Gazans reacted furiously online to the news, demanding to know where the millions have gone.
Blogger and activist Mustafa Ashfour wrote, “Salah used his journalistic work and exploited the suffering of our people in Gaza to steal donations…. It’s very easy for him to convince people he’s an angel and a journalist, and then plunder money.”
“The Health Ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, backed this thief, not the Palestinian Authority. So, dear donors, your money is gone,” he wrote.
Some users defended him by saying that the accusers are linked to Fatah, the movement behind the PA, which hates Hamas and fears its huge popularity in its territory in Judea and Samaria.
Al-Jafarawi first got noticed when Israeli media juxtaposed a video clip of him delighting over the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023 and the massacres of Israelis, when the terrorists covered their invasion by firing thousands of missiles over the border. Days later, Al-Jafarawi was seen crying in fear during the start of the Israeli air force’s massive counter-attack.
He thus earned the nickname “Mr. FAFO,” which stands for “F*** around, find out.”
The twenty-five-year-old has starred in many Hamas propaganda videos since then, playing parts such as a father of an injured child, a hospital patient, a Hamas fighter and a displaced person.
On various social media platforms, he is alternately listed as an actor, journalist, content creator, media influencer and Palestinian activist. One pro-Hamas website listed him as a “martyr” for Gaza, albeit without providing a date of death.
The Israeli foreign ministry has called him “just one example of how Hamas is using social media to spread misinformation and shape false narratives related to Gaza.”
Meta blocked al-Jafarawi’s Instagram account on Saturday, but he reportedly has already opened a new one.