'I cannot imagine our coverage without him': Tributes pour in for slain Gaza correspondent Salama

Just before his death, photojournalist Mohammed Salama had bought a new camera. When Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023, Salama started documenting events with only an iPhone mounted on a gimbal, reports Middle East Eye (MEE).

He was among the first Palestinian journalists to share reports of the genocide on TikTok.

Ambitious and determined, he continued reporting relentlessly until his final day. On Monday, Salama was killed in a "double-tap" Israeli strike on Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital, alongside five other colleagues, including fellow MEE contributor Ahmed Abu Aziz. They are among at least 270 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023.

We write amidst death, documenting the suffering so it is not forgotten

Photojournalist Mohammed Salama

Salama began working for MEE and other outlets, including Al Jazeera, soon after Israel's onslaught began. He went on to produce around 200 reports for MEE.

MEE's head of video production, Khaled Shalaby, recalled staying in near-constant contact with him.

"I struggle to find words to describe this immense loss. I cannot imagine our coverage without hearing Mohammed's morning voice notes, updating me with everything from the ground," said Shalaby.

"Whenever a major event unfolded, my first instinct was to message or call Mohammed for updates, interviews, or footage. He never let us down, no matter how difficult the logistics."

Filmmaker Hossam Abudan remembered Salama's perseverance, especially during the Israeli siege of Nasser Hospital in February 2024.

"I used to see him at Nasser Hospital, staying up late at night, always filming," Abudan told MEE.

"He was still new in the field and was striving for an opportunity. He worked hard to develop himself and persevered tirelessly, often working long hours, determined to document what was happening."

Despite the risks, Salama avoided reckless reporting.

"He never risked his life unnecessarily, and was careful to keep working and not get killed, so he could go on documenting events," Abudan said. "But no one is beyond being targeted."

An 'immense loss'

Salama's commitment was such that he continued reporting while receiving hospital treatment.

"Only when his fiancee, Hala, informed me, did I insist that he postpone the work until he recovered," said Shalaby.

Colleagues remembered him as both determined and compassionate.
"He was deeply focused on telling the stories of his people with kindness and care," Shalaby said.

Yet his reporting was also unapologetically raw. His Instagram was filled with images of Gaza's devastation: skeletal bodies, wounded and malnourished babies, children with rashes, and families killed in bombings.

Two weeks before his death, he recorded a harrowing interview with a woman from Morag near Khan Younis, who wept while describing how she tried to feed her children under siege.

Shalaby also recalled how Salama and his fiancée, fellow journalist Hala Asfour, worked tirelessly to track down the 13-year-old boy featured in a cancelled BBC documentary.
"He insisted on doing it, and in the end, we published Abdullah's first reaction to the BBC decision - an exclusive that only Middle East Eye was able to secure," Shalaby said.

For another story, Salama and Asfour investigated the death of 10-year-old Abdulrahim 'Amir' al-Jarabe, killed at an aid site.

"They went through every record of children named Amir who had been killed during that period, comparing photographs and footage. Mohammed went through every image and clip, sending them to me so we could verify," Shalaby said.

"Step by step, we followed new leads until we confirmed Amir's real name, identity, and family. That work not only uncovered the truth but also gave his family answers about what happened to their child."

'A truth we refuse to let die'

Salama and Asfour became central to MEE's coverage of southern Gaza, balancing their professional and personal lives amid devastation.

"Mohammed and Hala were at the heart of our daily coverage," said Shalaby, "from famine and starvation to the suffering of civilians across Gaza. Their persistence, courage, and dedication are what real journalism looks like. They are the true heroes of this work."

Despite the horrors, their relationship gave them solace. In an Instagram post announcing their engagement, showing them walking hand in hand through the ruins of Khan Younis, they wrote, "Despite the war and what distress and anxiety has come upon us, we give each other safety."

Fellow journalist Wa'ad AboZaher described morning coffee moments with the couple. She recalled once asking Asfour why love blooms during war. Asfour laughed and replied:
"Because we're unlucky. If nothing can save us from death, then let love at least save us from life, my friend."

Salama's final Instagram post, shared on World Press Freedom Day, captured his devotion to his work: "Journalism is not a profession - it is pain. We write amidst death, documenting the suffering so it is not forgotten. In every word, there is a soul fading, and a truth we refuse to let die."