REPORTERS and journalists covering the Israeli aggression in Gaza have one of the hardest jobs on the planet right now, as they are constantly faced with attacks on civilian infrastructure, women, and children — even their own families — and have to brave threats to their own lives, emotional distress, unreliable electricity and intermittent internet.

Several journalists, including two AFP reporters were wounded and a Reuters video journalist was killed in south Lebanon on Friday while covering shelling near the border with Israel. The injured including two personnel from Al-Jazeera, the broadcaster said.

A video released by BBC News on Thursday depicted the emotional turmoil experienced by BBC Arabic reporter, Adnan Elbursh, and his team. They were brought to tears upon discovering that their own friends, neighbours, and relatives were among the casualties of the Israeli attacks.

Elbursh, reporting from inside Al Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, stated in his report, “This is my local hospital, and my friends and neighbours are inside, fighting for their lives.”

Trying his best to keep his composure on camera, Elbursh said that this had been one of the most challenging days in his career, and the disturbing scenes he had witnessed will haunt him for all times to come.

In the BBC video report, a young girl with a bloodied face covered in dust, could be seen sitting in a hospital bed crying while a doctor attended to her injured legs.

The journalist, who lives in Gaza, revealed that the child had lost her home and her relatives. “This young girl’s home was destroyed, her relatives have been killed, and she needs help. My daughter is the same age, and I wish I could give her a comforting hug,” the journalist said in the report.

In addition, independent journalist Dan Cohen shared a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he describes that journalist Motaz Azaiza — who works for a UN agency — arrived to document the latest Israeli massacre in Gaza, only to find that the victims were 15 members of his own family members.

Losing contact

In addition, Middle East Eye announced that it had lost contact with journalist Maha Hussaini. Ms Hussaini’s last dispatch was a one minute fifty second video, which she warned could be her final communication, as she had run out of phone battery.

In the video, Ms Hussaini described the situation as people lose connections and are “silenced” while Israel continues to bombard the strip. “Israel has cut all fuel, electricity, food and water supplies into the blockaded Gaza Strip, leaving over two million residents with no food supply or electricity supply, in total darkness and also completely cut off from the world,” she said.

“But us journalists, we are facing also immense challenges. Reporting on the ground and communicating with our colleague journalists and also staying connected to the internet. Everything and everyone can be targeted in Gaza,” she added.

She said that every day seemed like it might be her last, reporting from Gaza, and she had already lost at least nine colleagues.

The World Association of News Publishers also released a statement on Thursday, illustrating how for newsrooms around the world, it was extremely difficult to ensure coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict with sensitivity, balance and — above all — accuracy.

“In an environment that already produces the most heavily scrutinised reporting of any foreign affairs coverage, the pressure on newsrooms to ‘get it right’ has massively, and urgently, intensified”, statement added.

“Underpinning all reporting of this crisis, and applying universally to every news organisation, is how safe their journalists are, and whether lessons learned from previous conflicts are being effectively applied,” it said.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2023