‘So much death, how can one group of people decide fate of another?': How journalists killed by Israel saw Gaza horror

Mint

8 hours ago

Journalists, who have died in Gaza war, painted a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region in front of their eyes with relentless strikes from Israel. Overwhelmed by seeing the crisis unfolding before them, they have described the firsthand accounts of widespread death and starvation, hospitals pushed beyond capacity, and countless Palestinians collapsing from severe hunger – while they were on air.
Nearly 200 journalists, including 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif have died in Gaza war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed when a tent for journalists outside the main gate of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza was struck by Israel. He had reported extensively on Gaza war.
Correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameraman Ibrahim Zaher, cameraman Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant, Mohammed Noufal, were also killed in the attack.
Anas al-Sharif had broken into tears after a woman collapsed behind him from severe hunger. But he refused to leave the city. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he had said then.
Raed Fakih, who knew Anas al-Sharif and worked with him, said during one of their last calls, Anas had spoken about the starvation in Gaza and how difficult was it every day to live without little food.
'He felt he had no choice but to amplify the voice of the Gazans. He was living the same hardships they are living now, suffering from famine, mourning loved ones. His father was killed in an Israeli bombing. In that way, he was like all Gazans: carrying loss, pain, and resilience. And even in the face of death, he persisted, because this is a story that must be told,' Raed Fakih told BBC.
Another journalist, Ismail Abu Hatab, 32, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on al-Baqa cafe in Gaza city in June. A few months before his death, he had sustained serious injuries to his leg when his office was struck.
Describing the horrors in Gaza, Ismail Abu Hatab said he had witnessed countless deaths and wondered how one group of people could decide the fate of another.
'I have seen so much death. The mass graves and the final farewells, these things affect me deeply. How can one group of people decide the fate of another and kill them in this way?' he had said.
Hossam Shabat, who reported from Gaza City, had left a message to be published if he was killed in the Israeli airstrikes. His team posted his message on social media after his death.
It read, 'If you're reading this, it means I have been killed—most likely targeted—by the Israeli occupation forces. For past 18 months….I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury. I slept on pavements, in schools, in tents—anywhere I could."
"Each day was a battle for survival. I endured hunger for months, yet I never left my people's side.'