“You gave everything”: West Bank journalists honor their fallen colleagues in Gaza | The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Hebron, occupied West Bank – Among the more than 67,190 Palestinians killed in the Israeli war on Gaza, there were particularly heavy losses among journalists and media workers. There were more than 184 journalists Israel killed him During the war, including 10 Al Jazeera employees, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank could only look from afar at the sacrifices of their colleagues in Gaza. But they also faced their own challenges, as Israel continues its almost daily practice of raids throughout the Palestinian territories.

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While the Palestinians in Gaza expressed their relief at the occurrence of this crime News about the ceasefire agreementJournalists in Hebron, in the southern West Bank, were documenting how Palestinians were prevented from moving around large parts of the city due to the influx of Israeli Jews as a result of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Among the areas where Palestinian movement has been restricted is the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Patriarchal Mosque, in downtown Hebron.

As journalists navigated through blocked Israeli roads, they sent their own messages to colleagues in Gaza – who had to endure two years of war marked by displacement, hunger and loss.

Mamoun Waysons, photography

“A thousand congratulations to all of you who work with international agencies, TV channels, websites, radio stations, and in the field. You have given everything, and sacrificed so much. I pray that your suffering will end after two years of hell, and that you will never experience another war. Your message was the holiest and most powerful in history. You shook the world – because you conveyed the truth. No one could have done what you did.

“The psychological and emotional impact of those who died will never fade. (I remember when he was Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Gaza) Bad joke He stood over his son’s body and said: They took revenge on us through our children. I felt these words go deep into my heart. I saw the footage on TV and broke down in tears. Imagine how his colleagues living with him felt.

“We live here in Hebron in constant contact with the Israeli occupation forces. There are frequent military incursions and checkpoints. After the start of the war, after October 7, 2023, the confrontations and clashes intensified.

“They treated us as part of the war, not as neutral observers, and used every means possible to fight us. Many times, I would say goodbye to my family as if it were the last time.”

“You journalists in Gaza have sacrificed your lives for your people and your country. You have risked everything to report the truth, the suffering and the crimes committed against the people of Gaza. Whenever one of you is killed, I feel as if I have lost someone – as if I were the one wounded or detained.

“You carried the message until your last breath, and you never stopped. You inspire us to continue the path you and the generations before you started. Thank you for every photo, every snapshot and every moment you captured for the world to see the many, many faces of war.

“War means displacement. War means famine. War means targeting the army. War means stopping education. Through your work, you made the world see everything.”

Raed Al-Sharif, journalist

“My feelings were mixed today after the ceasefire was announced. We in the West Bank followed everything that happened in Gaza, where hundreds of journalists were killed or injured, some of whom lost limbs. What happened was a real crime, genocide. Journalists (were specifically targeted) because the occupation does not want reports to come out of Gaza.

“Frankly, I feel ashamed as a Palestinian journalist. Despite our sacrifices in the West Bank, they do not amount to even a drop in the bucket of what our colleagues witnessed in Gaza. They gave their lives and bodies – the most precious sacrifices of all.

“It is our duty as Palestinian journalists to carry the voice of our oppressed people and continue on. The ones who influenced me the most were our martyred colleagues, such as Al-Ghad’s photographer, Yazan Al-Zwaidi, and Al-Jazeera’s photographer.” Anas Al-Sharif and Muhammad Qariqa. As for Nidal Al-WadaieHe has been missing since October 7, 2023, and we do not know whether he was detained, martyred, or wounded. This absence hurts me so much, it has disappeared from existence.