GAZA(Palestine Foundation Information Center)Since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation started on October 7, the French newspaper La Croix has been communicating with Palestinian journalist and photographer Abed Zaqout, to report on his daily life under the ongoing Israeli bombardment to document the destruction that occurred his homeland, the Gaza Strip. However, three days ago, he had to stop filming due to the hunger he and his children are suffering from. Today, he is appealing to everyone to save him and his family.
In his last message, Zaqout, 37 years old, says: “Before the war, I lived in the south of the Gaza Strip. I work as a freelance journalist and photographer for numerous press agencies.”
He explained how he was displaced by saying, “At the start of the conflict, I took refuge with my family in Al-Nasser Hospital, in the heart of the city of Khan Younis. From there, I travel to the bombed areas and cover the events.”
“Since Israel escalated its military offensive on the South after the truce and stormed Khan Younis, I moved to the city of Rafah. There, I am writing to you from the tent where I live, in the freezing cold of Rafah. My children are sick and suffering,” he added.
“We, the journalists and photographers, work on empty stomachs. We face considerable challenges in providing our children with food and finding little bread. We produce photo and video stories about hunger and thirst, while our own children are hungry and thirsty,” he highlighted.
Zaqout stressed that “As an independent journalist, I am not a party to this conflict affecting my country, but the Israeli army does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. I stopped filming two days ago. I cannot do it anymore. I’m starving. Sorry if I can’t find the right words.”
He concluded his message by saying, “Journalists affiliated with agencies were able to be evacuated but no one is helping independent journalists. Help us, we are heading towards death.”
Since October 7, Israel has been waging a large-scale aggression on the Gaza Strip, claiming the lives of around 20,000 people, and wounding more than 50,000 others, amid a tight siege on the coastal enclave where a genocidal war has been carried out against the Palestinian people.
