Pictured: Motaz Azaiza (left) and Hind Khoudary (right) in Palestine, via @hindkhoudary on Instagram
Over 20 journalists and media personnel have been killed so far in Palestine since conflict broke out once again on October 7th. This number is rising at an unsettling rate.
This comes as Israel continues to carry out its aggression against Palestine, masking their bombardment of the land as a war against Hamas - who, clearly, carry out covert operations under their peoples schools, hospitals and civilian housing.
On 27th October, Palestine went dark. The internet is disconnected, electricity has run out and mobile phone networks are offline, which has led to a complete blackout across the occupied territory. This has meant that many photographers, journalists and activists on the ground have lost contact with the rest of the world, their safety not guaranteed and their whereabouts unknown.
These people have risked their own lives to go into an active warzone, with little aid and little access to clean water, in order to show the world what is going on, and now their families don’t know if they’re alive or dead. They are hit by missiles and censorship, as Israel loses any shred of regard it had for who gets caught in the crossfire.
Wael Al-Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist, known for being the face of Al-Jazeera’s Arabic coverage on the war in Gaza, was mid-broadcast when he found out his family was dead. Al-Dahdouh had moved his wife, children, and grandchildren to a camp in Gaza, deemed safe from bombardment. Within days, he was filmed weeping over his dead children, and yet, he carried on. He resumed his duty and went back to work, as the Palestinian people gathered to mourn this figurehead’s family. That’s how important it is to the media in the region to show the uncomfortable truths of this war.
Via @aljazeeraenglish on Instagram
Motaz Azaiza is a Palestinian photographer. His Instagram following has skyrocketed since the conflict began. This is because of his content; he is on the ground in Gaza, watching the destruction of his homeland, capturing the reality through the lens of his camera. He has caught the attention of many social media users for his coverage, his photos and videos showing children rescued from the rubble, and those who weren’t lucky enough to escape. Azaiza has had his Instagram account removed by Meta since the war resurged on 7th October, but it has luckily been restored. He is not the first to be censored by Meta; Instagram is headed by American-Israeli businessman Adam Mosseri, in case you were wondering.
Via @motaz_azaiza on Instagram
Hind Khoudary is a Palestinian Journalist on the ground in Gaza. When the blackout began, she called for prayers; it’s easy to get away with murder in the dark. She has documented the blood stained Al-Shifa hospital, a prime Israeli target, as well as the main street in Gaza that connects the city to Northern territory. It is littered with rubble, bodies, waste from the wreckage. Khoudary has been transparent about the dire situation journalists and civilians alike find themselves in now. Khoudary’s husband’s house has been destroyed by Israeli forces, which leaves six families displaced, their homes and belongings lost to concrete.
Via @hindkhoudary on Instagram
Professor Khaled Beydoun is an American-Middle Eastern professor of law, author and activist. Although he isn’t on the ground in Palestine, he has lost friends to this deadly persecution, and continuously shows up on his social media platforms to speak up for all marginalised groups. Similarly, Shaun King is an author and activist using his platform to draw attention Israel's war crimes. Their activism and presence on social media has led to censorship, threats of losing access to accounts, and yet they continue to find ways to speak out against the aggression.
Their platforms are used to educate, direct people on ways they can help, and uses the power of their writing to present the lack of humanity being shown to Palestinian civilians. King, with Beydoun’s support, is currently working with other partners to launch the War Crimes Project, launching 2nd November. Both activists have spoken out against the removal of Instagram account @Eye.on.Palestine, the biggest account for Palestinian news, which was mysteriously removed by Meta, right before the blackout. Wonder why? Luckily, after calls from users across social media, the account was restored. It’s interesting to see how these corporations give in when pressure is applied.
Yes, these people sign up to do these jobs, but someone has to do it. It is the job of a journalist to hold those in power to account, and these people, risking their lives on the ground and their livelihoods for their activism are the true heroes in this. It’s depressing, really, that no matter what they show us, no matter what horrors they have to witness to publish the truth, Israel are still being allowed to win. ‘No red lines’, said the US Government, and now, we must breathe a sigh of relief when we see the familiar faces of correspondents that have managed to survive another day.
It doesn't help that the media in the region are grappling with Israel and Western powers. When the Al-Ahli hospital was hit with missiles, Hananya Naftali, a pro-Israel social media advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, posted a tweet on platform X that claimed Israel was responsible for the attack. This tweet was then swiftly deleted, and Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak were happy to run with this narrative. Mr Biden was also happy to question the numbers of dead Palestinians.
This turbulent battle of information is perhaps some of the most dangerous warfare being used to discredit and silence Palestinians and journalists risking their lives to provide truthful coverage. America were willing to disregard Shireen Abu Akleh’s death in May 2022, after the American-Palestinian journalist was assassinated by Israeli forces in Jenin Camp. There were no sanctions, no outrage, only the chilling realisation that the US Government doesn’t care who dies, as long as their blood runs Palestinian. That is still true now, as bombs continue to reign down, and children play in their own graves.
Pictured: Shireen Abu Akleh, via Google
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