Ismail Abu Hatab: the journalist who wanted the world to see beauty amid Gaza’s devastation

Ismail Abu Hatab.. Press Satellites Prepared by: Tareq Washah

In an era when truth has become the most targeted commodity, Ismail was a witness who carried his camera as he carried his heart, exposed to the world — not just a journalist but an artist who saw first with his heart and made every image tell a story.

The slain journalist Ismail Abu Hatab was born in the city of Gaza on May 2, 1992. He grew up there and completed his preparatory and secondary education in Gaza’s schools.

His passion for photography was more than a hobby; he chose to study applied arts at the College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, and sailed with unflagging determination into the world of conveying truth in a visual language that captivates the heart.

Ismail began his journey as a photojournalist and director of short films, working with prestigious international media organizations such as “DW” and the “BBC”.

But his ambition went beyond individual work; he founded platforms he dreamed of, such as “C Light” for production and documentation, and “By pa” to support and publish Palestinian creative works online.

The brother and the spirit that surrounded the family

His brother Ahmed, speaking with a voice full of longing and pain, says: “Ismail was everything to me; he was the spirit that wraps around us in every detail of our day. He had a big heart, loved people, and cared for them. Ismail saw beauty where no one else did.”

Ahmed adds: “From the first time he held a camera he knew he was not holding it just as a tool or a job; it was a means and a promise to reach those who have no voice.”

Exhibitions from the heart of destruction

Neither the siege nor the war stopped him from bringing his art to the world. He staged his international photographic exhibition “Between the Sky and Sea” in Los Angeles while inside besieged Gaza.

The exhibition told the story of thousands of displaced families on Gaza’s shore, carrying their children and memories in a march between life and death. He also participated in the “Gaza: Against Erasure” exhibition in California. From the heart of the slaughter, his vision reached the Barcelona International Festival.

Journalist Muthanna al-Najjar wrote about him: “The maker of a tent exhibition in the middle of Los Angeles. He rose among the martyrs in the raid on the Al-Baqa rest area. He tried to convey Gaza’s tragedy to the world through an installation exhibition titled Between the Sky and Sea. The shelling took him on the very shore he loved.”

Death:

On June 30, 2025, occupation aircraft carried out a massacre on Gaza Beach — the same shore that had become the title of his exhibition and his dreams. The “Al-Baqa” cafeteria was struck without warning. Ismail Abu Hatab was killed along with more than 30 people, while his colleague, journalist Bayan Abu Sultan, was wounded.

Ismail left in body, but he left the words he wrote on his Facebook wall on May 10, which became a testament: “Between the sky and the sea, Gaza’s youth dare to live.”

Ismail dared to live, to dream and to die for his cause — leaving the world with images that prove life, despite everything, grows amid destruction and rubble.