This survey goes beyond statistics, capturing firsthand experiences through the voices of journalists in Gaza. By including qualitative responses, we aimed to understand the conditions, challenges, and specific difficulties these journalists face in their daily lives and work. The quotes that follow reveal the profound impact of their circumstances.
The house was targeted. My brother, my wife, and my children were killed. I was the sole survivor.
When my neighbors' house was bombed, all the shrapnel and debris fell on us, shattering the glass around me and my children. My husband was injured, and his leg was broken by the rubble, while my children and I were wounded by shrapnel and glass fragments. Now, I am living in a tent.
I lost all my professional equipment while working, including my phone, laptop, camera, and solar power equipment... Despite this, I remain steadfast in northern Gaza, continuing to fulfill my journalistic duty with all the will and determination I have, despite the harsh conditions and daily challenges I face.
I had fractures and bruises all over my body, but thankfully, I've almost recovered from them.
While I was home, the house next to mine was bombed, and shrapnel flew toward us, injuring my right leg.
Living Conditions: Many journalists are displaced and living in makeshift shelters like worn-out tents, lacking basic necessities such as food, clean water, clothing, blankets, and hygiene supplies. They face extreme temperatures in winter and summer, with minimal shelter from the elements.
Equipment Loss: Many have lost essential reporting equipment, including laptops, cameras, and phones in the bombings or because of displacement or confiscation.
Connectivity Issues:Frequent power outages and weak internet connections hinder their ability to work consistently, leading some to rent or borrow devices, which creates further logistical and financial burdens.
Mobility and Safety: High fuel costs and the fear of targeted bombings limit their ability to move safely. The lack of personal protective equipment, such as helmets and shields, further complicates safe coverage of events.
Psychological: Continuous displacement, loss of loved ones and the responsibility of providing for family members under harsh conditions weigh heavily on their mental health.
Economic Hardship: Journalists face steep living costs without stable income sources, often due to destroyed equipment or lost work opportunities. Many struggle to provide for their families, especially as they experience frequent displacements.
We suffer from everything
Inability to travel to undergo surgery to remove the shrapnel.
I live in a tent, which isn’t mine, of course, without the basic necessities of life—bedding, blankets, clothes, shoes, and food.
The tent I am displaced in has become worn out after a year and does not protect from the summer heat or the winter cold, not to mention the lack of personal hygiene supplies, clothing, and shoes.
I stopped working because I lost the phone necessary to keep up with my work. Now, I’m writing to you from a phone that only works to open links; it doesn’t take photos, doesn’t edit, and is of no use to me in any aspect of my work.
We suffer from the winter cold and summer heat due to living in a nylon tent, and we struggle financially because of the ongoing war.
My phone has disconnected several times while I was trying to fill out this short survey, so imagine what I go through all day trying to complete my journalistic tasks.
“Losing the motivation to continue.
Safety
Freedom of movement, people’s fear of renting places to us, shortage of (essential reporting) equipment to purchase, and the high cost of everything.
Everything we live through in this war is difficult.
I lost my home as it was bombed and completely destroyed. Now I live in a tent that does not meet the basic needs for living with dignity. I also lost my laptop, which was my source of income, and now I am without work.
The war leaves its mark on all of us, but my belief in my mission is what drives me to continue, despite the risks.
As a woman working freelance, the challenges are doubled; from transportation difficulties that force me to walk long distances, to the daily challenges posed by bombings from every direction around me.
A tent that does not protect from the winter cold, with my children and no basic necessities for life. I lost my home, my job, and everything I own.
There is a shortage of everything essential for life. The cost of living is high, and the tent is almost worn out. Prices have skyrocketed, and we have lost everything during displacement. We lost all our possessions, as the army confiscated my belongings. Each time we were displaced, I could only take my children's clothes. There are no cleaning supplies or safe drinking water.
Providing for my children's needs after the loss of their father.
One of the biggest challenges is that I lost my laptop and now write my reports on my phone.
The pain and anguish of losing loved ones, acquaintances and friends.
I borrow a phone from my colleagues, which makes me feel embarrassed and disrupts both my work and theirs.
Planning for the future amid uncertainty: it’s hard to think about tomorrow or make long-term plans when everything can change in an instant.
The pressure to maintain morale: keeping hope and patience amidst psychological and emotional stress isn’t easy, especially when trying to lift the family’s spirits despite everyone’s lingering worry.
The challenge of maintaining a daily routine: adapting to the disruption makes it difficult to carry on with normal life.
Worrying about sudden supply shortages: the fear that available resources could run out due to an emergency or blockade, heightening the sense of instability.
Difficulty in providing my baby girl with necessities like diapers, milk…and clothing.
Everything in Gaza is difficult, from drinking water to sleep. This sums up what we endure in Gaza.
Everything… no basic necessities of life like clothing, water, blankets, electricity, or even safety. Not to mention the psychological and living conditions after being displaced under fire and bombing, with belongings stolen from the tent and everything in it.
“My house was bombed, and my…children were killed in the attack.
While I was at a location preparing a news report, an explosion occurred, and shrapnel flew around me. I felt that the helmet I borrowed from my friend offered me some protection.
I borrow my colleague's equipment for filming and then return it. It has helped me a lot during work.
The press vest I borrowed from a colleague helped me immensely while covering a bombing… saving me from a definite injury.
The vest and helmet also play a crucial role by signaling our identity as journalists, prompting people to give us the space needed to move through and film.
There was a bombing near me, and the vest protected me from the shrapnel.
On multiple occasions during bombings, we didn’t have a vest or helmet, which put our lives at serious risk.