The Palestinian presenter delivered the community’s first-ever bulletin when it went on air in 1996.
Revealed On 15 Mar 2026
Al Jazeera Arabic presenter Jamal Rayyan, the primary face ever seen on the channel when it launched almost three a long time in the past, has died on the age of 73.
Rayyan handed away on Sunday after a broadcasting profession spanning greater than 5 a long time, throughout which he lined main world and regional occasions for the channel – from the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Arab Spring.
Beneficial Tales
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He had been with Al Jazeera since its first day on air on November 1, 1996, when he offered the channel’s opening bulletin at first of what would change into a serious broadcaster within the Arab world.
Born in Tulkarem within the occupied West Financial institution in 1953, the Palestinian presenter started his profession at Jordanian Radio and Tv in 1974 earlier than working with a number of broadcasters within the area and past, together with Emirati tv, South Korean public broadcasting, and BBC Arabic.
Rayyan later recalled being sworn to secrecy after being quietly chosen for the historic function.
“The vice chairman of the board got here and stated to me, ‘You could have been chosen to be the primary face on Al Jazeera, however we wish one factor from you: don’t inform anybody,’” he instructed Al Jazeera’s In-Depth Research, a set of testimonies from the channel’s founders and early workers.
Measured supply, distinctive voice
The announcement that Rayyan was presenting the primary bulletin was made public half an hour earlier than airtime. He entered the studio intentionally on an empty abdomen, he recalled, to make sure he may breathe nicely and ship.
“As the published began, my coronary heart started beating quickly. Nevertheless, after I appeared on the display screen and stated, ‘Welcome to the primary broadcast of Al Jazeera channel,’ I returned to my pure state and completed the published. As quickly as I completed and exited the studio, your entire room erupted in applause,” Rayyan stated.
He spent almost three a long time as one among Al Jazeera’s most recognisable presenters, constructing a following of two.3 million on X.
Through the years, Rayyan grew to become a well-recognized presence in properties throughout the Arab world, his measured supply and distinctive voice carefully related to Al Jazeera’s information bulletins.
Within the Arab world and past, his broadcasts and the channel’s editorial strategy reached large audiences and helped form regional information protection within the years that adopted.
