Al-Jazeera's first ever news anchor, Jamal Rayyan, dies at 72

Jamal Rayyan, the Palestinian journalist who delivered Al-Jazeera's very first news bulletin when the channel launched in 1996, died on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

He was 72.

Rayyan had been with Al-Jazeera since its first day on air, November 1, 1996, when he presented the channel's opening bulletin.

His death ends a broadcasting career that spanned more than five decades.

Born in Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank on August 23, 1953, Rayyan held Jordanian citizenship.

He began his broadcasting career at Jordan Radio and Television in 1974 and went on to work across several international media institutions.

These included the Korean Broadcasting System in Seoul, where he served as a news reporter and Middle East political analyst in two separate stints between 1974 and 1985, Abu Dhabi's Al Oula Television Network, where he anchored and moderated political programmes between 1989 and 1994, and the BBC Arabic World Service in London from 1994 to 1996.

By the time Al-Jazeera came calling, Rayyan had more than two decades of broadcast experience across three continents.

The announcement that Rayyan would present Al-Jazeera's first bulletin was kept under wraps until half an hour before airtime.

He entered the studio on an empty stomach, a deliberate choice to steady his breathing and delivery.

"As the broadcast started, my heart began beating rapidly. However, after I appeared on the screen and said, 'Welcome to the first broadcast of Al-Jazeera channel,' I returned to my natural state and finished the broadcast. As soon as I finished and exited the studio, the entire room erupted in applause," Rayyan recalled.

That bulletin marked the beginning of a broadcaster that would go on to reshape Arabic-language media and challenge dominant narratives across the region.

Rayyan remained one of Al-Jazeera's most recognisable presenters for nearly three decades.

He covered major global events for the network, from the United States wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa from 2010.

By the time of his death, he had built a following of 2.3 million on X.

For many Kenyans and Africans who relied on Al-Jazeera during landmark events, including the 2007 post-election crisis in Kenya, which drew heavy international coverage, the network's voice carried the weight of credibility that figures like Rayyan helped establish.

Colleagues and viewers across the Arab world have paid tribute to Rayyan, remembering him as a journalist whose work helped transform Arabic-language broadcasting.

His death closes a chapter in the story of a network that launched on a shoestring budget in Qatar and grew into one of the most-watched news channels in the world.