A member of a team supporting a Canadian-Palestinian man documenting humanitarian efforts during the Israel-Hamas war says loved ones have lost contact with the citizen journalist in Gaza.
Mansour Shouman was last heard from last Sunday around 4 p.m., Zaheera Soomar said.
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Soomar speaks to the family several times a day and said Shouman’s mother is “beyond distraught.”
“His wife is trying to be as strong as she possibly can for the sake of her five kids,” Soomar said.
Shouman stayed behind in Gaza when his family left because he felt a duty to document the war and its ramifications.
He would often post on social media platforms about how funds donated to aid communities in Gaza were being used to build shelter, provide food and distribute sanitary, feminine hygiene and baby products.
Many of the posts would document the conditions people were living in and share news of recent attacks.
“Myself and some of our team would watch and would say, ‘Oh my God, Mansour, are you OK? Like how are you living through this?’” Soomar recalled.
“We would sometimes be the distraught ones and he would be the positive one and say just have faith, things will change.”
War has been raging on between Israel and Hamas since October, resulting in thousands of lives lost.