In a haunting post that echoed the agony of countless others, the widow of a Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli fire in Gaza described the daily torment of trying — and failing — to feed her children.
Her husband, the family’s sole breadwinner, was killed while covering the early days of the war that erupted in October 2023.
He was not the only journalist to die. Several of his colleagues — freelancers for local and international outlets — fell alongside him.
The widow’s anguished words sparked an outpouring of support from fellow journalists, who quickly raised thousands of shekels in donations. But her story opened the floodgates to similar accounts of loss and hardship among the families of other journalists killed or injured in the conflict.
Many of these families have been left without income or compensation. Freelancers working on daily contracts often have no legal protections or financial entitlements if they are killed, injured, or otherwise incapacitated.
From the first day of the war, journalists in Gaza have found themselves in the crosshairs of relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed, displaced and starved thousands across the enclave.
‘We live with death, moment by moment’
Veteran journalist Ibrahim Qanan, a fixture of Gaza’s media landscape for three decades, described the current war as the most brutal he has ever covered. He said journalists in Gaza are under constant threat — not only from direct targeting, but also from attacks on their workplaces, broadcast vehicles, personal cars, tents and homes.
“In addition to the danger on the field, we work without electricity, water, or internet,” Qanan told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Over the past four months, the hardships have multiplied. Food has become scarce and prohibitively expensive. Bread, eggs and poultry have largely vanished from the market. Some journalists go days without a meal.
But hunger is only part of the ordeal.
“There is no safety here,” Qanan said. “Every few days, a journalist is killed or wounded. We feel like we’re being targeted around the clock. We live in fear and anxiety. Even with press vests and helmets, we don’t feel protected.”
According to the latest figures from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, at least 232 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Qanan was among the first to be wounded in the war. He had been preparing for a live broadcast near Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis when an Israeli strike hit an ambulance nearby. He and several colleagues were wounded.
“For a few seconds, I thought death had come for me,” he said. “When I regained consciousness, I realized I had shrapnel near my heart. Four hours later, I was back on air — still bleeding.”
Despite the injuries and repeated close calls, Qanan continues to report from the frontlines. “Journalism is a humanitarian mission,” he said. “We believe in what we do.”
"We carry the suffering of a nation"
Like millions of other Gazans, journalists have been repeatedly displaced by the war. But Qanan said they cannot afford to stop working.
“There is no safe place in Gaza,” he said. “But we must continue. We owe it to the people. We are exhausted, hungry and thirsty — but we are their voice and the voice of every journalist who could not enter Gaza.”
Starving for truth
For journalist Madeline Shaqallah, who once hosted a popular morning radio show, the war has meant loss on every level. Now reporting for an Arab television channel, she has been displaced several times and has lost several relatives — including her sister and her children — in Israeli strikes.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat, recalling how they were killed in northern Gaza while she was sheltering in the south.
Shaqallah never imagined the war would last this long. Her home has been reduced to rubble, but she has not stopped reporting.
“Everything is painful. But our message must be delivered,” she said.
She described the worsening famine as unbearable — especially for the elderly and children. She said many journalists have collapsed from exhaustion and hunger during coverage.
“I hope this war ends,” she said. “Israel is using hunger as a weapon. When someone says, ‘I haven’t eaten,’ believe them — it’s true. What’s happening in Gaza is beyond what anyone can endure.”
Last month alone, at least four journalists were admitted to hospitals, including Nasser Medical Complex, after fainting from hunger. Some had gone days with nothing but a few grains of rice to share with their families.
Wasting away
Anyone who followed Gaza’s media scene before the war would immediately notice the emaciated faces of many of its reporters and cameramen today.
Journalist Abdullah Miqdad said Gaza’s reporters are suffering the same physical toll as everyone else — from chronic headaches to dangerous weight loss. Some can no longer stand long enough for live coverage.
Miqdad has been displaced numerous times. He didn’t see his family for nearly two months after the war began because of continuous field coverage. When he finally did, it was only briefly.
Eventually, he made the difficult decision to send his family abroad — choosing painful separation over the risk of death.
“I miss them terribly,” he said, his voice cracking.
Miqdad called the current conflict “the worst journalists in Gaza have ever faced,” noting that their families, like everyone else’s, have been targeted in Israeli airstrikes.
“We’re barely able to feed ourselves,” he said.
"I hurt when I film the hungry — because I am one of them"
Journalist Amer Sultan was displaced from northern Gaza to the south, only to lose several family members — including siblings — in an Israeli airstrike.
“There’s a burning pain in my heart,” he said.
Despite it all, Sultan continues to document the suffering of others. “Like everyone else, we survive on a quarter of a meal a day — if we’re lucky.”
He added: “It breaks my heart to see the hunger in people’s eyes. When I film them, I feel their pain. And when the camera is off, I’m just like them — hungry, empty-handed.”
