A Light Never Extinguished: Remembering Nour Qandeel, the Palestinian Journalist Killed with Her Dream
In a heart-wrenching tragedy that echoes the silent agony of Gaza’s journalists, Palestinian journalist Nour Qandeel was killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 18, just three days after penning a haunting Facebook post that read, "If I am martyred, I am not just a number, okay? Talk about me a lot, convey my voice, my ambition, and my dream after I’m gone." Her final words have since become a painful symbol of silenced voices in a war that continues to claim civilian lives—especially those who seek to tell its story. Nour, 26, died alongside her husband, fellow journalist Khaled Abu Shanab (31), and their infant daughter, Ayloul, in a bombing that flattened their home in Deir al-Balah.
The family had only recently returned to what they believed was a safe zone. According to the Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center (PJPC), the attack was one of many targeting media professionals, raising urgent concerns about deliberate assaults on press freedom in Gaza.
A journalism graduate from Al-Aqsa University in 2020, Nour never secured a stable media job due to the region’s dire economic situation. Still, she persevered, freelancing and working as the Events Coordinator for Al-Thuraya Media Foundation’s Social Media Café.
Colleagues remembered her as a passionate and adaptive storyteller who honed her digital skills and even turned to handicrafts to support her family amidst the blockade. Nour’s ultimate dream was to pursue a Master’s degree in Digital Media abroad—a dream she never stopped working toward despite the odds imposed by Israel’s 17-year-long siege of Gaza.
"She was not just a journalist," said a former coworker, "She was a voice for the voiceless, especially women and families navigating war and survival. Her dream lives on in the people she touched and inspired."
The targeted killing of the Qandeel family ignited public outrage, especially as five other journalists were also killed in separate Israeli raids that same night. Since the beginning of the military campaign in October 2023, over 200 journalists have lost their lives, many of them in what human rights organizations call systematic and intentional attacks aimed at silencing Gaza’s narrative.
Nour Qandeel is now a martyr not just of war, but of journalism. Her story—a light never extinguished—reminds the world of the price Palestinian journalists pay to tell the truth.
As the international community continues to debate its response, her voice echoes louder than ever: not a number, but a life, a dream, and a legacy that demands to be remembered.
