Some 92 per cent of journalists in Gaza have lost equipment essential for reporting as a result of Israel’s genocidal campaign in the enclave, a survey by Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) has found.
Ninety-one per cent said they didn’t have protective gear, including flak jackets and helmets, to carry out their work.
“I stopped working because I lost the phone necessary to keep up with my work,” one journalist explained.
“I lost my home as it was bombed and completely destroyed. Now I live in a tent … I also lost my laptop, which was my source of income, and now I am without work,” another said.
The survey, which was based on responses from 383 journalists, 89 per cent of whom were in Gaza, also found that 96 per cent had been forcibly displaced, while 88 per cent said their home had been destroyed. As a result, 60 per cent now live in tents.
Carried out between 25 October and 7 November, the poll also found that 49 per cent of respondents had lost their job during the war and 21 per cent had been injured.
Around one third of journalists who took part in the survey reported being displaced more than eight times. While 13 said they had been detained by Israeli occupation forces.
“The house was targeted. My brother, my wife, and my children were killed. I was the sole survivor,” one respondent said.
All reported struggles in continuing their work, either due to the lack of adequate equipment, internet connectivity, or because of the difficulty of their living conditions.
The struggles they face to survive led to one journalist reporting that they were “losing the motivation to continue.”
While another journalist was defiant, saying: “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.”
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has reported that 195 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza and at least 400 have been injured since October 2023.
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