The Palestinian journalist and head of the Al Jazeera bureau in Gaza, Wael Al Dahdouh, has recounted the “cruel and unsustainable” situation in the Gaza Strip and has denounced the “inhuman” treatment that the civilian population receives with attacks such as the which cost the lives of a large part of his relatives. “It was inconceivable to stop working after my family lost their lives for this reason,” he said.
He expressed this after receiving the 2024 Freedom of Expression Award given by the Union of Journalists, in an event held this Wednesday at the cultural center La Beneficiación, in Valencia, which had a large representation of the Palestinian community in the capital Valencian, which has claimed a “free” Palestine.
Al Dahdouh has stated that the Palestinian press and journalists are “victims of barbarism” and has denounced that more than 140 professionals have been “victims of this cruel war.” “The Vietnam War lasted 20 years and there were not even half as many deaths as in Gaza, there are more deaths than ever,” he noted.
In this sense, he has defended the role of journalists in the Gaza Strip, although he has warned that information professionals are “targets of war.” “We fulfill our loyal duty and responsibility to tell everything that happens in Gaza,” he claimed.
For this reason, he argued: “We have no choice but to carry out our mission with objectivity and professionalism. The situation needs us and there is no choice but to do journalism in the face of the anger of the Israeli occupation, which does not want what is happening in Gaza reach the world.”
At the same time, he highlighted the role of Al Jazeera and its coverage of the conflict due to “the scope and importance of what is happening in Gaza.” “Everything you see in the photos and videos is completely true, nothing has been modified,” she highlighted.
Wael Al Dahdouh has recounted the attack that his family suffered on October 25, where his wife, several of his children and his barely 18-month-old grandson lost their lives. “My wife was among the martyrs, in a practically unrecognizable state,” he described.
Months later, he himself was injured in an attack in Gaza City along with his cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, who died. “I was saved by a miracle,” he said. After that, he decided to work with “more drive, more professionalism and more objectivity”, because, as he proclaimed, “our mission is very important.”
Along these lines, he has stated that his driving force to “move forward” is his family: “They sacrificed their lives and everything we had so that I could continue with my work.” “They are martyrs, I couldn’t stop working”, she concluded. “EXAMPLE OF RESILIENCE”
For his part, the president of the Union of Journalists, Vicent Marco, in statements to Europa Press, defined Wael Al Dahdouh as “an example of resilience” and appreciated that he came to collect the Premi Libertat d’Expressió in person. . “It’s quite an honor,” he said.
With this recognition, he explained, the professional group of journalists “makes visible the genocide suffered by the Palestinian people and the press in particular, with nearly 150 professionals murdered.” Furthermore, Marco has taken the opportunity to denounce that journalists are “targets of war” to cause “an informative silence in an area like Gaza.”
