Palestinian bloggers and journalists: Voices of truth and icons of heroism

More than a month and the Palestinians in Gaza have been struggling with the continuous Israeli occupation’s brutal attack on civilians, schools, and even hospitals amid complete international inaction. 

Moreover, Israel cutting off internet and telecommunications have made it difficult for Palestinian bloggers and journalists in the Gaza Strip, some of whom have lost their families during Israeli strikes, to report on the worsening human condition there, but they have persisted in getting their message out to the outside world, teaching us a valuable lesson of how to resist until the end. 

For the third time since 2018, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a complaint for war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists who were killed or injured by the Israeli occupation while doing their jobs in Gaza. These reporters or their families were the targets of assaults that qualified as war crimes. The complaint is being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, according to Relief Web. 

One of the heroic examples is Wael Al-Dahdouh, the head of Al-Jazeera's bureau in Gaza. In an Israeli bombardment on the Nuseriat camp in the heart of the Gaza Strip on October 24, his family was killed. In addition to losing his wife, son, daughter, and grandchild, the well-known reporter's extended family members are still missing. The murder of Dahdouh's family shocked and outraged the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which demanded an investigation and to hold those responsible accountable.

After Israel warned Palestinian citizens to relocate from the northern to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Dahdouh and his family left their house. But in recent days, Israeli attacks have been more frequent, focusing on regions much further south, such as Khan Yunis, where the majority of today's journalists operate and Dahdouh’s family was killed, according to IFJ. 

Despite his loss, Dahdouh has continued doing his job and persisting to report on the brutal crimes of the Israeli occupation. 

Another heroic story is that of Palestinian photographer Mohammed Alaloul, who received news of the killing of his family in an Israeli raid on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip while filming the tragic events caused by the Israeli bombardment on Gaza’s Al-Quds Hospital. He received news of the death of his children, his brothers and members of his family, Euro News reported. 

Both experienced and inexperienced bloggers keep trying to share their messages and images with the world via social media platforms, especially Instagram.

Among the bloggers using Instagram is Bisan (wizard_bisan1), who was previously well-known for posting humorous instructional films about Gaza but has assumed the role of de facto war-zone correspondent. The account keeps the world informed about the number of hospitals that went out of service because they ran out of gasoline or medical supplies and also reports on hospital damage, staff deaths, and ambulance destruction, according to Ahram Online. 

Before it all began, former singer Saleh Aljafarawi (saleh.aljafarawi) would just post his music videos on Instagram. But on October 7, Saleh started providing his now 2.3 million followers with video updates about the Israeli assault on Gaza. Moreover, images of the events in Gaza were taken by award-winning photographer Ali Jadallah (alijadallah66). In a video, Ali also documented the intense bombing that occurred during the blackout. 

The shortage of telecommunications in Gaza impedes the efforts of these bloggers to reveal the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza and their followers become concerned for these voices when they vanish from social media for a few days or hours, wondering if they are still alive or not.