Reporters Struggle with Hunger in Gaza Strip
In the embattled region of Gaza, one in three people is going days without eating, according to recent reports. This dire situation is not sparing the local journalists, who have been working tirelessly under extremely challenging conditions.
Since last year, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has been collaborating with freelance journalists in Gaza. These journalists have been facing air strikes, economic collapse, lack of access to healthcare, and now, a severe hunger crisis.
Sara Qudah, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Committee to Protect Journalists, has expressed grave concerns about the loss of independent reporting from inside Gaza and the collapse in transparency and accountability.
One of these journalists, Shrouq Aila, a Palestinian journalist in Gaza, went home around half past six in the evening on Tuesday after a day of reporting and had not eaten for more than 24 hours. Faced with an impossible choice, she must decide between working in the heat without food or drink and potentially losing consciousness, or staying home and risking diarrhea and colon problems.
Shrouq's two-year-old daughter, Dania, is growing up in dire circumstances with limited food and nutritional value.
Another journalist, Abdulrahman Ismail, a young visual journalist in Gaza, resorted to drinking salt water and chewing dried herbs due to extreme hunger. He spent 48 hours without food and had to buy a half piece of bread for six dollars.
More than 230 journalists and media workers in Gaza have been killed since October 2023, according to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
The hunger in Gaza is so severe that it affects the ability of journalists to focus and hold their pens steady. The editorial committee of Agence France-Presse (AFP) has warned that without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.
Hundreds of people in Gaza, including journalists, have been killed while trying to get food, as per the United Nations.
Seth Stern, the director of advocacy of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has emphasised the courage of these journalists who risk starvation to tell untold stories. Anthony Bellanger, the general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, has called on the Israeli government to stop weaponizing starvation against the people of Gaza and allow foreign journalists to enter.
Abed, a Palestinian journalist who had been reporting from Gaza, was diagnosed with malnutrition earlier this year and was forced to leave due to deteriorating health and safety threats. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it is believed he now lives in Ireland.
One of Abed's colleagues in Gaza prioritises finding food for his family over reporting the news.
Despite these harrowing conditions, the journalists of Gaza continue to report, determined to bring the truth to light amidst the darkness. Their stories serve as a testament to the resilience and courage of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
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