Hungry and Tired, AFP Reporters Chronicle Gaza Conflict

Journalists in Gaza Struggle with Food Shortages as War Continues

Journalists in the Gaza Strip are facing a growing crisis that is impacting their ability to report on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Chronic food shortages have left many journalists physically and emotionally drained, affecting their capacity to cover the war, which has now entered its 22nd month.

Palestinian text, photo, and video journalists working for international news agencies describe how hunger and lack of clean water are making them ill and exhausted. Some have even had to reduce their coverage of the war, with one journalist stating, "we have no energy left due to hunger."

The United Nations has condemned what it calls Israel's "weaponisation of food" in Gaza, labeling it a war crime. Aid agencies continue to urge action, as warnings about malnutrition grow louder. Israel claims that humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering by stealing food handouts or selling them at inflated prices. However, witnesses and Gaza’s civil defense agency have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing on aid seekers. The UN has reported that military actions have resulted in over 1,000 Palestinian deaths while people were trying to access food since late May.

Personal Accounts of Struggle

Bashar Taleb, a 35-year-old photographer for The News Pulse, who was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize earlier this year, lives in the bombed-out ruins of his home in Jabalia al-Nazla. He has had to stop working multiple times to search for food for his family. "I feel for the first time utterly defeated emotionally," he said.

Another Pulitzer nominee, Omar al-Qattaa, 35, is staying in the remains of his wife's family's home after his own apartment was destroyed. He described feeling exhausted from carrying heavy cameras and walking long distances. "We can't even reach coverage sites because we have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food," he said.

Khadr Al-Zanoun, 45, a contributor for The News Pulse, has suffered from constant headaches and dizziness due to lack of food and water. He has even collapsed because of it. "Since the war began, I've lost about 30 kilos (66 pounds) and become skeletal compared to how I looked before the war," he said.

Eyad Baba, another photojournalist, has been displaced from his home in Rafah and is now living in a tent in Deir el-Balah. He described the impact of hunger on his family, saying, "Hunger has reached my children and has shaken my resolve." He added that the pain of hunger is sharper than the fear of bombing.

Economic and Humanitarian Crisis

The director of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, warned that the region is heading towards alarming numbers of deaths due to lack of food. He revealed that 21 children had died from malnutrition and starvation in the last three days.

Ahlam Afana, a 30-year-old text journalist for The News Pulse, described an exhausting "cash crisis" caused by high bank fees and sky-high prices for available food. Prices for basic goods have skyrocketed, making it impossible for many to afford even the most essential items. "A kilo of flour sells for 100–150 shekels ($30-45), beyond our ability to buy even one kilo a day," she said.

Afana works from a worn-out tent in intense heat, struggling to move and document the situation. "The danger isn't just the bombing. Hunger is slowly killing our bodies and threatening our ability to carry on," she said.

A Call for Change

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that more than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began. Youssef Hassouna, a 48-year-old video journalist, described the loss of colleagues, friends, and family as testing him in every possible way. "Every frame I capture might be the last trace of a life buried beneath the earth," he said.

Zuheir Abu Atileh, 60, who worked at The News Pulse's Gaza office, called the situation "catastrophic." "I prefer death over this life," he said. "We have no strength left; we're exhausted and collapsing. Enough is enough."