Popular Palestinian TikTok Creator Killed in Southern Gaza Airstrike

A popular Palestinian TikTok creator, who garnered a following by sharing his life in Gaza amidst the Israel-Hamas war, died in an airstrike Monday, BBC and NBC News have reported.

Medo Halimy, 19, was reportedly hit by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.

Halimy was known for his vlog-style videos, which included cooking recipes with a limited food supply and documenting his life in a tent after he and his family were forced to leave their home following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Between Instagram and TikTok, he amassed over 250,000 followers.

Local officials with the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry have estimated that over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October.

In an interview with NBC News earlier this year, Halimy said he was showing Palestinians’ resilience through his content.

“We’re going to survive and live no matter what happens, in whatever circumstances,” Halimy said at the time. “We can’t be defeated. We’re very strong people, and we’re going to live no matter what.”

Halimy’s friend and collaborator Talal Murad, 18, was with Halimy at the time of the strike and suffered minor injuries, NBC reported.

“We did everything together, we laughed, we cried, we walked for hours continuously, we ran a business together, but sadly we didn’t die together,” Murad said in an Instagram message.

“He was the one who passed and I was the one who (will) miss him.”

Source: BBC, NBC News