Hundreds of Palestinian journalists have been forced to flee their homes due to intense Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, leaving them to face endless challenges. Since the beginning of the war, 24 journalists have been killed.
A report from the French news agency indicated that the war, in its third week, has caused massive destruction of entire neighborhoods in Gaza, forcing journalists to work in hospitals, cars and temporary tents.
Wissam Yassin, who works for the American Arabic-language channel Al Hurra, said: “It’s been two weeks and I’ve been working at Nasser Hospital.”
He added: “I sleep in the car. I drink some water so I don’t have to go to the bathroom.”
And he continues: “The bombings surround us everywhere. We were forced several times to abandon our cameras and run away while we were on air during the live broadcast.”
Yassin recounted several previous Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, but said he had “never witnessed such difficult circumstances before.”
She added to Agence France-Presse: “I left my home in Gaza on the morning of October 7 and have not returned since.”
He continued: “Sometimes I don’t answer my nine-year-old daughter Bana’s calls because her crying is heartbreaking and I have no words to console her.”
Hoda Hegazy’s story with her family is similar to the stories of all journalists. Hoda is a 25-year-old journalist who works for a Spanish-language media outlet and she says: It’s a tragic situation. I haven’t seen my family in two weeks. I think about it all the time and it puts more pressure on me.
He adds that he has to use the hospital bathrooms to shower, and that isn’t always available.
Since October 9, Israel has cut off all electricity, fuel, water and food services in the Gaza Strip, leaving the densely populated area with few or no resources.
Most people seek refuge in schools, where thousands of people share the same bathroom.
Nizar Saadawi, 36, a correspondent for the Turkish channel TRT World, said: “His problem is communications, as the raids have destroyed telephone networks.”
“Keeping in touch with our colleagues, families and sources has become difficult,” he said.
Al-Saadawi added to Agence France-Presse: “When the war started, I slept on my bulletproof vest between cars parked in a car park, but two days ago we managed to get a mattress and put up a tarpaulin tent. .”