AFP video journalist Youssef Hassouna has been covering the Gaza war for 21 months. Since October 2023, the 48-year-old journalist has lost almost half his weight and travels every day for miles on foot to document the news. Now, extreme scarcity of food, clean water and medical care in Gaza are further complicating his efforts to cover the devastating conflict.
Hassouna said he faces difficulties as a journalist, as many people stay away upon seeing him wearing a bulletproof vest. "Some like journalists, others do not. Those who support us come to say to me: "Tell us what’s happening, when will this war end? Make our voice heard abroad, tell the whole world that we don’t want war." Others say the opposite: "Don’t come near us, journalists are targeted by Israeli bombings."
The war between Israel and Hamas has displaced almost all of Gaza's population, triggered severe shortages of food and other essentials, and reduced much of the Palestinian territory to rubble.
"I have a family of eight people. I have a sick sister who lives with me. What I suffer from is mainly related to the difficulty of accessing food. I used to weigh around 110 kg. Today I weigh between 65 and 70 kg. Obtaining food in Gaza is extremely difficult. Even when it is available, prices have multiplied 100-fold. For example, a kilo of lentils used to cost three shekels, today it costs 80 shekels. Rice used to cost seven shekels, today it costs 140 shekels," Hassouna said.
He added that access to water is equally difficult, whether it is fresh water or salt water. "Children have to queue for 4, 5, 6, or even 7 hours to collect it," he said.
The Society of Journalists at AFP, an association of professionals at the news agency, have recently sounded the alarm about conditions faced by colleagues working in Gaza, saying that “without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.”
Hassouna says he has to walk "14 to 15 km" every day to reach the places where events are happening. "This morning, I walked about 25 km round trip in search of information. It’s very, very difficult. I used to change my shoes every six months. Today, I wear out a pair every month or two.” (With AFP inputs)
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