Another Gazan “Journalist” Who Was Anything But
Hassan Abu Warda was hailed as a journalist after his death in Gaza. But a closer look at his posts reveals a man far more interested in armed jihad than honest reporting
Earlier today, Al Jazeera and various Palestinian outlets reported that Hassan Majdi Abu Warda, a so-called “journalist” in Gaza and head of something called Barq News, was killed in an IDF airstrike.
But as we've seen time and again, the term “journalist” gets thrown around pretty loosely in the Gaza Strip. So let’s take a closer look at who Abu Warda really was, shall we?
In two separate social media posts, Abu Warda and his Barq News praised the “35th Jihadi Launch” and expressed solidarity with a battalion, invoking the slogan “Until Jerusalem”—a common rallying cry among jihadist factions.
By the way, below is a screenshot from Barq News’ Telegram channel. It goes without saying, but this is not what a “media outlet” posts:
Abu Warda appeared deeply fixated on the idea of waging jihad to “return to Jerusalem.” Multiple posts of his feature this language, almost always accompanied by images of armed militants.
Many of Abu Warda’s posts glorify Islamic Jihad—revealing his obvious allegiance to the US-designated terrorist organization. For example, here we have Abu Warda glorifying an Islamic Jihad terrorist referred to as Abu Muhammad. And in another particularly illuminating post, he published a picture of an Islamic Jihad terrorist alongside a caption reading:
"You created glory when you willed it...
And from your blood, our determination was fueled...
You wove light into our darkness...
And from your blood, a glorious victory was born...
Your rifles in your hands became swords...
A light for Jerusalem and Palestine...This is the 'Jenin Battalion' — and expect more to come."
He’s also published content in support of Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhalah and another senior official named Khader Adnan, who died in 2023.
Maybe one day, real journalists will start caring that their profession is being hijacked by propagandists in flak jackets. Or better yet, they’ll do some actual reporting and uncover the terror ties of guys like Abu Warda—and the many others just like him.
As much a journalist as Hamas are freedom fighters
Well, what you called “real journalists” are not allowed into Gaza, are they?