Demonstrators gather in solidarity with journalists during a protest organized by the Gaza Journalists Syndicate, in Gaza City, on Tuesday. Gaza's civil defence agency said five journalists were among at least 20 people killed on Monday when Israeli strikes hit a hospital in the south.OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP/Getty Images
Mahmoud Omar, a reporter for an Arabic-language television channel in the Gaza Strip, had been sent to cover an Israeli air strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp. When he arrived at the site of the bombing, he discovered his sister among the dead.
He collapsed, and could not control his grief. Videos of him saying goodbye and kissing her hand spread widely online.
“I never imagined I would face something like this in my life,” he recalled of the air strike, which happened about a year ago. “It was a very painful moment.
“But I knew I couldn’t stop. I had to keep documenting,” added Mr. Omar, who has been covering daily news since the beginning of the war in 2023.
Being a journalist in Gaza is not just a job. There are no safe areas. For many, it is a balance between professional duty and the need to protect their families, knowing that each report is vital for the world to understand the reality on the ground.
Every journalist in Gaza feels they are a target. Mr. Omar said he lives apart from his family to avoid putting them in danger too.
“I haven’t seen my children since the beginning of the war,” he said. “But as a journalist, I feel my presence in the field is important. Someone has to tell the truth, even if it costs us our safety and emotions.”
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On Monday morning, five journalists trying to report on an attack on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis were killed by Israeli strikes on the site.
Among the victims was Mariam Abu Dagga, 33, one of the few female journalists covering Gaza. Her son lived with his father outside Gaza, and she wondered if she would ever see him again, recalled her close friend and colleague, Yafa Abu Akar. She described Ms. Abu Dagga as “the voice of ordinary people” who was always the first to arrive on a story.
She spoke to Ms. Abu Dagga minutes before she was killed.
“I was on the phone with Mariam. She was trying to calm me down, even though the sound of bombing was all around her,” Ms. Abu Akar said. “She always chose to give comfort instead of fear. She told me, ‘We’re okay. As long as we’re talking, we’re still alive.’ I didn’t know that would be our last call.”
Each assignment carries uncertainty – sometimes roads are blocked, sometimes areas are shelled while journalists film and do interviews. Every assignment could be life-threatening. Covering an air strike, visiting a hospital or attending a funeral, every moment is dangerous. This war is by far the most difficult Gazan journalists have ever experienced.
The main hub for journalists in the Gaza Strip used to be Palestine Tower, built in 1994 by local businesspeople. The tallest building in Gaza City, it stood 13 storeys high and had 54 apartments. It also had offices for journalists working with local and international news agencies.
Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza on Monday killed at least 15 people, including four journalists, one of whom worked for Reuters, Palestinian health officials said.
Reuters
In the early days of the war, the tower was attacked and destroyed in broad daylight. This was not just the loss of a building. The offices were full and noisy: ringing phones, editorial meetings and the laughter of colleagues that eased the difficulty of the job. Journalists lost their tools and safe places to work.
Many now work from small rooms at home – if they have homes. Working like this is not comfortable – it is a necessity imposed by the war, where family life mixes with professional pressure. And yet every report sent is a way for many journalists to overcome the isolation caused by the destruction.
Mobile phones are the main tool for reporting. But using them has become very difficult because of battery shortages and the lack of electricity. All residents, not just journalists, rely on portable batteries or small solar panels to charge phones. But sometimes wireless connections are lost for hours or days, making it hard to follow security developments, increasing pressure on journalists and their families alike.
With complete power outages, most local radio stations have stopped broadcasting, and television has become available only in limited areas. Without regular access to television or radio, the main source of news for Palestinians is social media, especially Telegram channels, which provide real-time updates on bombings, front lines and evacuation warnings. These channels are the fastest way to get news on a mobile phone.
Amna Abdulhameed, 32, was displaced from her home in northern Nuseirat and now lives in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school in the Nuseirat camp. She spoke about the challenges of following the news without television or radio.
“Most of the time, we hear the news from the people around us, or from others coming from different areas who tell us what they saw,” she says.
She explains that she can only charge her phone every few days.
“Sometimes I go to a nearby mobile charging station that has solar panels, but the line is long and there are many people. We charge the phone a little and then go back to the camp. We can’t follow everything, but we try to know if something important happened – like bombing, people moving or evacuation orders.”
Despite the daily dangers, journalists in Gaza continue to convey to the world what they witness around them. Every report and every story are acts of resistance against silence, showing that the reality here cannot be ignored.
Journalism remains the lifeline to ensuring Gaza’s voice continues to be heard.