Popular TikToker in Gaza killed in Israeli airstrike

Medo Halimy, a 19-year-old Palestinian TikToker, often records videos of the absurdities that have become normal in Gaza and posts them to his TikTok channel with nearly 230,000 followers.

As usual, on August 26, Halimy walked to the local internet cafe, a tent with wifi, where displaced Palestinians can connect to the outside world . There, Halimy met his friend, 18-year-old Talal Murad.

Murad said they took a selfie and posted it on Instagram with the caption "finally reunited." Then they started chatting.

Suddenly there was a flash of light. There was an explosion. The ground flew. Murad felt a pain in his neck, and Halimy was bleeding from his head. On the coastal road ahead of them, a car was engulfed in flames. It was the target of an Israeli airstrike.

It took about 10 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Hours later, doctors declared Halimy dead.

Medo Halimy (left) with twin brothers Mohammed Hirez (center) and Helmi Hirez (right) on a beach in Gaza. Photo: Helmi Hirez

On August 30, tributes to Halimy continued to pour in from his distant friends. His death also sparked a wave of condolences across social media. His followers expressed shock and grief as if they had just lost a close friend.

Halimy started his own TikTok account after taking refuge with his family in Muwasi, a southern coastal area that Israel has designated as a humanitarian safe zone. They fled the Israeli offensive from Gaza City to the town of Khan Younis to reach the refugee camp.

The war between Israel and Hamas produced a series of images that have become familiar to viewers around the world: bombed-out buildings, disfigured bodies, chaotic hospital corridors. But the content of Halimy’s video “was truly surprising,” said his 19-year-old friend, Helmi Hirez.

Filming intimate details of his life in Gaza, Halimy reached viewers everywhere, exposing aspects of the real lives of Gazans that most news reports do not cover.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have been drawn to Halimy's TikTok channel. His videos have gone viral, with some reaching over 2 million views.

In his final video posted hours before his death, Halimy filmed himself scribbling in a notebook, but the pages were mysteriously covered.

“I’ve started designing my new secret project,” he said at the tent cafe in his usual tone, part playful, part serious.

Hoai Phuong (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tiktoker-noi-tieng-o-gaza-thiet-mang-trong-cuoc-khong-kich-cua-israel-post310137.html