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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hide the pain: how a war reporter keeps going when their own family are victims
Purpose was never something Wael al-Dahdouh struggled with. Even when struck by personal tragedies, the Palestinian journalist would take his place in front of Al Jazeera's cameras to report the news from Gaza. He returned to work almost immediately after his wife, two of his children and his toddler grandson were killed by an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. He showed the same determination seven weeks later when he was himself injured, and his friend and colleague Samer Abu Daqqa killed, as they reported on the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a school. He again was back at work immediately after the funeral of his eldest son, Hamza, a cameraman killed in a targeted Israeli strike on a car carrying a group of reporters in January 2024. But his family persuaded him to leave Gaza that same month, and though Dahdouh gives interviews and travels the world to speak about the war there, he still struggles with the fact that he is no longer reporting alongside colleagues who have persisted through danger and hunger. 'It was as if I had been poisoned when I left the Gaza Strip,' he says. 'I can't exaggerate to say often it is more difficult than when I was inside, and this deepens every time I see a disaster in Gaza that affects the journalists, the people, my relatives.' Dahdouh adds: 'At least when I was in Gaza I felt like I could do something valuable, to report on the people's suffering, about the massacres they faced, about their stresses, their problems.' Now separated from his microphone and camera, Dahdouh – who still wears a brace on his injured arm – focuses on his own recovery and that of his surviving family who were able to get out of Gaza. He says he finds the only limited way he can reprise some of the purpose he felt as a journalist is to speak to international audiences, as he did last week at the Amnesty Media Awards, calling for solidarity with Gaza's journalists as he picked up the prize for outstanding contribution to human rights journalism. At least 225 Palestinian journalists and media workers are known to have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli onslaught, according to the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, and many of the most experienced have had to leave because of the danger they faced. This has meant respected and well-known faces such as Dahdouh, who covered every war in Gaza since 2005, have been replaced by younger, less experienced journalists who are having to learn their craft while living in tents, under the threat of death and often while hungry. He says the new generation of media reports in Gaza combine traditional skills with citizen journalism, with social media accounts often posting information from areas reporters cannot reach because of the danger they face. Dahdouh has no doubt that the Israeli military has journalists in its sights and that his own family were targeted because of his work, but he believes those reporting from Gaza will continue working because the circumstances force them to continue. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion 'Honestly, I took my strength from God. That's how I was able to bear the pain of what I saw with my eyes and what I experienced in my heart, to overcome it, to hide the pain to return to work as if nothing had happened,' says Dahdouh. 'People do not have options. Even when you want to get rid of these people, where do you go? To a hospital, to a camp, to a street, to a house, or whatever is left of houses? 'There is no safe place. Your back is against the wall so all you can do is continue. The cost [of being a journalist] is high and everyone pays the price, but you must continue.' Last week, more than 140 media rights groups and news organisations joined the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders demanding of Israel that it allow foreign journalists into Gaza and calling the killing, displacement and threats against Palestinian journalists 'a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information'. Dahdouh says journalist colleagues in safer regions have a duty to support those in Gaza by speaking out for them, raising awareness about the killing of journalists and putting pressure on Israel to protect members of the media. 'I used to wish that Hamza's blood would be the last of the blood of journalists and civilians, but after these long months, there is a lot of blood flowing from the journalists and the civilians,' says Dahdouh. 'I want to see the journalists' colleagues from all over the world using their conscience, morals and international law to do what they can for their colleagues and brothers in the Gaza Strip. At least then we can feel that we were not abandoned and the world did not silence our murder.'
Roya News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
World Press Freedom Day 2025: At least 217 journalists killed in Gaza
World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3, marks a global call to protect journalists and uphold the right to free expression. In 2025, the spotlight falls on Palestinian journalists, who face extraordinary risks in Gaza and the occupied territories, where Israel's actions in Gaza have made journalism a deadly profession. UNESCO's 2025 theme, focusing on journalism in crisis zones, underscores the catastrophic toll on media workers in Palestine, where targeted killings, detentions, and destruction of media infrastructure have created a chilling environment for truth-telling. With foreign media largely barred from Gaza, Palestinian reporters have become the world's primary source of on-the-ground coverage, often at the cost of their lives. Since the escalation of aggression on October 7, 2023, at least 217 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority Palestinian, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirms 176 deaths as of May 2, 2025, marking this as the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began tracking in 1992. In 2024, 55 journalists were killed in Palestine, comprising over half of the global total of 104, per the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that at least 35 of these killings were deliberate, citing cases like Al Jazeera's Samer Abu Daqqa, killed in a drone strike, and Palestine Today's Hilmi al-Faqaawi, burned alive in a targeted tent attack in April 2025. Women journalists, including 16 killed, have not been spared, with figures like Fatima Hassouna dying in airstrikes alongside family members. Detentions are equally staggering. As of May 2025, 55 journalists remain in ''Israel'i' custody out of 177 detained since October 2023, with 75 arrests recorded in that period, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. RSF notes 'Israel' ranks among the world's top jailers of journalists, with 41 detained as of December 2024. Two journalists, Nidal al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdelwahed, have been missing since their detention in October 2023, with no updates on their fate despite appeals from human rights groups. Detained journalists report beatings, humiliation, and sexual violence, often held under 'administrative detention' without charges. In the West Bank, arrests like that of veteran journalist Ali al-Samoudi in April 2025 highlight ongoing repression. Palestinian journalists work in near-impossible conditions. 'Israel''s ban on independent foreign media access forces local reporters to bear the burden of coverage amidst airstrikes, internet shutdowns, and destroyed infrastructure. Over 90% of Gaza's journalists lack protective gear, and 48 media facilities have been hit or razed. UN experts and RSF have labeled these attacks potential war crimes, with RSF filing complaints with the International Criminal Court. Social media platforms, a lifeline for reporting, are also weaponized, with over 320 digital violations against Palestinian journalists recorded in April 2025 alone. Despite the dangers, Palestinian journalists remain resolute. 'We are the eyes and ears of the world,' said Gaza reporter Shuruq As'ad, echoing the sentiment of many. The 2024 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize honored Gaza's journalists for their bravery, a recognition reiterated in 2025. Yet, the loss is profound: families shattered, voices silenced, and a generation of storytellers decimated. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports 70 journalists have lost close family members, compounding their trauma. This World Press Freedom Day, the international community faces urgent demands: end impunity for attacks on journalists, open Gaza to foreign media, and release detained reporters. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate calls for accountability, reconstruction of media infrastructure, and global support to sustain journalism under siege.
