Salah al-Ja’frawi, a blogger from Gaza who initially celebrated the rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Israel at the onset of the war, later appeared in tears in a hospital after Israel’s retaliatory actions. He is said to have accumulated considerable wealth during the conflict. Al-Ja’frawi, who has become known as “Hamas’ social media star” and is even recognized within Israel, raised funds for Gaza residents, but there are now allegations that the funds may have ended up in his personal account.
In his latest fundraising drive, al-Ja’frawi collected $4 million for Hamas through a campaign to rebuild Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He stated that the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah had urged him to start the initiative promptly, prompting him to use the ministry’s logo along with that of a Kuwaiti charity—apparently without the charity’s consent. His fundraising target for the campaign was set at $10 million.
However, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah quickly issued a public statement distancing itself from the fundraising campaign, making it clear that it had not been involved in any donations or online fundraising efforts. The ministry further cautioned the public against the unauthorized use of its name or logo for any fundraising initiatives, advising that the public should only rely on information from its official website for verification.
The situation has led to widespread anger in Gaza. Palestinian activist Mustafa Asfour criticized al-Ja’frawi, saying, “The thief Salah al-Ja’frawi collected more than $4 million, and the official Palestinian Health Ministry denied any connection to these donations. I told you before—the Health Ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, backed this thief, not the Palestinian Authority. So, dear donors, your money is gone.”
Abu Lafi, a resident of Gaza, commented, “Salah al-Ja’frawi and Hamas’s Health Ministry in Gaza, together with the Kuwaiti charity, planned to collect money under the name of the official Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah. Kuwait is a respected country, but this must stop.”
A social media figure known as “Abu Hassan” also expressed his frustration: “Before the war, he (al-Ja’frawi) was just ‘working in restaurants,’ and after the war, he became a millionaire with one click—using Gaza’s name! Salah, those donating to you expected you to help the people of Gaza, not steal the money. He deceived many donors.”
{Matzav.com Israel}The post Hamas’ ‘Superstar Blogger’ Stole Donations For Gaza: ‘Became A Millionaire With A Click’ first appeared on Matzav.com.