War on Gaza: What it’s like to be a journalist in Gaza right now


Ahmed Abu Aziz transported dead bodies between reporting, slept on the ground for over 60 days and watched his home get destroyed amidst his ongoing coverage of the war on Gaza

A man holds a candle during a vigil to remember journalists killed and wounded in Gaza outside the St George’s Cathedral, in Cape Town, South Africa, 28 January 2024 (Reuters)

Ahmed Al-Sammak and Nadda Osman report in Middle East Eye

War broke out in Gaza on 7 October, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Since then, Israel has launched a fierce military campaign on Gaza, which has so far killed nearly 28,000 people.

Among those killed are at least 122 Palestinian journalists and media workers, with many more wounded. At least three Lebanese journalists have also been killed by Israeli shelling near the Israel-Lebanon border.

The war has had a catastrophic effect on Gaza, particularly for reporters who have been working around the clock while living through dire conditions, bombardment, and personal loss.

On 27 January, Palestinian TV journalist Amr al-Dahdoudi collapsed live on air while reporting on Gaza for Al Jazeera due to exhaustion and malnutrition.

Days later, on 30 January, Palestinian correspondent Hind Khouday said that other journalists were also feeling the impact of working in extreme conditions and that journalist Ali Jadallah was taken to the emergency room due to extreme exhaustion.

Ahmed Abu Aziz, a journalist from Gaza working for al-Quds News, is one of the many reporters who has not stopped working since the start of the war, despite the threat to his life, exhaustion, and malnutrition.

Here, he explains what life has been like for journalists in Gaza.

As told to Ahmed al-Sammak and Nadda Osman.

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