diff --git a/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.test.tsx b/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.test.tsx
index 1f4c45167a..4de18989d1 100644
--- a/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.test.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { useLayoutEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import { fireEvent, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { MobileNavDrawer } from './MobileNavDrawer';
+import { useMobileNavDrawer } from './MobileNavDrawerContext';
 
 vi.mock('$state/hooks/settings', () => ({
   useSetting: () => [true, vi.fn<() => void>()],
@@ -36,6 +38,11 @@ const renderDrawer = () =>
     </MemoryRouter>
   );
 
+const touchList = (target: HTMLElement, clientX: number, clientY: number) => {
+  const point = { identifier: 0, target, clientX, clientY, pageX: clientX, pageY: clientY };
+  return { touches: [point], targetTouches: [point], changedTouches: [point] };
+};
+
 describe('MobileNavDrawer', () => {
   // The panels sit side by side in a track twice the viewport wide, moved by transform.
   // `hidden` leaves a scrollport that focus or scrollIntoView scrolls a full panel width,
@@ -48,4 +55,43 @@ describe('MobileNavDrawer', () => {
     expect(viewport.style.overflow).toBe('clip');
     expect(viewport.style.overflow).not.toBe('hidden');
   });
+
+  it('still drives message swipe when the gesture starts on a nested ignored element (e.g. an image)', () => {
+    const move = vi.fn<(distanceX: number) => void>();
+
+    function MessageProbe() {
+      const drawer = useMobileNavDrawer();
+      const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
+      useLayoutEffect(() => {
+        const el = containerRef.current;
+        if (!el || !drawer) return undefined;
+        return drawer.registerMessageSwipe(el, {
+          move,
+          end: vi.fn<(gesture: { distanceX: number; velocityX: number }) => void>(),
+          cancel: vi.fn<() => void>(),
+        });
+      }, [drawer]);
+      return (
+        <div ref={containerRef} data-message-swipe data-gestures="ignore">
+          <div data-gestures="ignore" data-testid="image">
+            image
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      );
+    }
+
+    render(
+      <MemoryRouter initialEntries={['/home']}>
+        <MobileNavDrawer nav={<MessageProbe />}>
+          <div>content</div>
+        </MobileNavDrawer>
+      </MemoryRouter>
+    );
+
+    const image = screen.getByTestId('image');
+    fireEvent.touchStart(image, touchList(image, 260, 100));
+    fireEvent.touchMove(image, touchList(image, 200, 100));
+
+    expect(move).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.tsx b/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.tsx
index 9d4d2c1177..440fb4316d 100644
--- a/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/page/MobileNavDrawer.tsx
@@ -353,7 +353,12 @@ export function MobileNavDrawer({ nav, rail, bottomNav, children }: MobileNavDra
         const ignoredElement = target.closest<HTMLElement>('[data-gestures="ignore"]');
         const message = messageElement ? messageTargetsRef.current.get(messageElement) : undefined;
         const chat = chatElement ? chatTargetsRef.current.get(chatElement) : undefined;
-        const blocked = ignoredElement !== null && ignoredElement !== messageElement;
+        // Nested ignore markers (e.g. inline media) don't block swipe if they're part of
+        // this message/chat's own surface, only if they sit outside it.
+        const blocked =
+          ignoredElement !== null &&
+          !(messageElement && messageElement.contains(ignoredElement)) &&
+          !(chatElement && chatElement.contains(ignoredElement));
 
         gestureRef.current = {
           startX: touch.clientX,