“Reporting in Danger: The Impact of Journalist Casualties in the Israel-Gaza War”

In the profession of journalism, the experience of journalists covering wars is quite different. Their circumstances are unique.  the example of Palestinian journalists covering Gaza is unlike anything else in the world. They didn’t go to the war at some border or distant place  instead the war came to their homes. Bombs were falling on their rooftops. They know that there is no place to hide in Gaza no escape and being in Gaza means facing the possibility of death. Helmets and bulletproof vests are of little use. They understand all of this yet they have not stopped reporting from Gaza. Many of their colleagues have lost their lives but reporting continues. These journalists have faced every challenge with courage and resourcefulness.

They risk their lives for every piece of news. Their stories need to be told to readers in a country where even prominent journalists  editors and channel owners are silenced and conform to a single narrative. Palestinian journalists in Gaza might not be getting enough food, water, and salaries, yet they continue reporting amid the threat of death. They claim that journalists are deliberately targeted

The Israel-Gaza war started when Hamas a Palestinian militant group launched an attack on Israel in October. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip an area that’s under a blockade. This conflict has been tough on journalists and they’ve faced many challenges while trying to report on the situation.

As of November 4 during the Israel-Gaza war that began on October 7 there have been a lot of casualties. Among the roughly 10,000 people who have lost their lives, at least 36 of them were journalists or people who work in the media. Most of these casualties, around 9,400, happened in Gaza and the West Bank while about 1,400 occurred in Israel.

the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agencies that they couldn’t promise to keep their journalists safe in the Gaza Strip. This happened after the news agencies asked for assurance that their journalists would not be harmed by Israeli airstrikes. It means that the IDF couldn’t guarantee the safety of these journalists while they were working in the area.

Journalists in Gaza are in a very dangerous situation. There’s a ground assault by the Israeli military happening in Gaza City and there have been powerful Israeli airstrikes causing a lot of destruction. The journalists also have to deal with problems like their communication being disrupted and there are frequent power outages making it even harder for them to do their jobs and stay safe.

As of November 436 journalists and media workers have been confirmed dead. Out of them, 31 were Palestinian 4 were Israeli, and 1 was Lebanese. 8 journalists have been reported as injured. 3 journalists have gone missing and their whereabouts are unknown. 8 journalists have been arrested. There have been various other problems like physical assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and even some family members of journalists have been killed.

On November 2 2023 a journalist named Mohammed Abu Hatab who worked for Palestinian TV lost his life. He was killed when the Israeli military launched an airstrike on his home in Khan Yunis which is in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Tragically 11 members of his family were also killed in the same airstrike.

On November 1  2023  a journalist named Majd Fadl Arandas who was part of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and worked for the news website Al-Jamaheer lost his life. He was killed during an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp located in the Gaza Strip.

Iyad Matar a journalist who worked for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV  and his mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

On October 31 2023  a media worker named Imad Al-Wahidi, who also worked as an administrator for the Palestinian Authority’s Palestine TV channel tragically lost his life. He was killed  along with some of his family members in an Israeli airstrike that took place in the Gaza Strip.

Yasser Abu Namous, a Palestinian journalist working for the Al-Sahel media organization, was killed in an airstrike on his family’s home in Khan Yunis Gaza on October 27  2023.

Saed Al-Halabi a journalist working for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV lost his life in an Israeli airstrike that occurred in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on October 25 2023.

On October 22, 2023, a journalist named Roshdi Sarraj, who was also a co-founder of Ain Media, a Palestinian media company, lost his life. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike that took place in the Gaza Strip.

Roee Idan was an Israeli journalist and photographer who worked for the newspaper Ynet. On October 7 a Hamas attack occurred at Kibbutz Kfar Aza  where his wife and daughter were killed. Roee Idan was initially reported missing. Sadly on October 20 his body was found and he was declared dead. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirmed that he was working as a journalist on the day of the attack. His tragic story highlights the risks journalists sometimes face while covering dangerous events.

Mohammed Ali was a journalist working for Al-Shabab Radio in the Gaza Strip. He was unfortunately killed during an Israeli airstrike in the northern part of Gaza. His death underscores the dangers faced by journalists in conflict zones.

Khalil Abu Aathra was a videographer working for Al-Aqsa TV which is affiliated with Hamas. He along with his brother tragically lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike that took place in Rafah a city in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19 2023.

Sameeh Al-Nady was a journalist and director affiliated with Al-Aqsa TV  which is associated with Hamas. He sadly lost his life in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on October 18 2023.

On October 17 2023  Mohammad Balousha  who worked as a journalist and managed the finances of the local media channel  in Gaza tragically lost his life. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike that occurred in the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza.

Issam Bhar was a journalist working for Al-Aqsa TV which is associated with Hamas. He was tragically killed in an Israeli airstrike that took place in the northern Gaza Strip.

On October 16 2023 Abdulhadi Habib a journalist who worked for Al-Manara News Agency and HQ News Agency tragically lost his life. He, along with several of his family members, was killed when a missile strike hit his house near the Zeitoun neighborhood south of Gaza City.

On October 14 2023 Yousef Maher Dawas who contributed as a writer for Palestine Chronicle and We Are Not Numbers (WANN) a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project tragically lost his life. He was killed in an Israeli missile strike that hit his family’s home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.