September 25, 2025 • 24 mins
More journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023 than in any other conflict since the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting data in 1992. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Israel’s onslaught has killed 250 media workers to date. Yet despite facing conditions without parallel in the history of modern warfare, journalists in Gaza continue to bear witness. With Israel barring foreign reporters from entering the Strip for nearly two years now, Palestinian journalists have shouldered the entire burden of informing the world about the ongoing genocide, reporting on a story that is also their own.
In this episode, Ruwaida Amer reflects on the difficulties of reporting from Gaza, where the atrocities she documented –– massacres, destruction, displacement, and starvation –– are inseparable from her own lived experience.
Additional Reading:
Ruwaida Amer’s archive at +972
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Theme music by Ghassan Birumi
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Music (00:00):
[Music]
Ghousoon Bisharat (00:03):
Welcome to the +972 Podcast, your direct
line to the journalists,thinkers, and activists
struggling for justice inIsrael-Palestine. I’m your host,
Ghousoon Bisharat,editor-in-chief of +972
Magazine. Our podcast groundsthe discussion in lived
realities to bring you closer tothe issues that matter most
(00:24):
between the river and the sea.
Before we dive in, a quickreminder that what we do would
not be possible without you, ourreaders and listeners. If you
believe in our mission and wouldlike to support our work, head
over to 972mag.com/membersand find out how to become a
member of 972 or make a one offcontribution.
(00:51):
Gaza is one of the mostdangerous places in the world
for journalists, perhaps eventhe most dangerous.
As of mid-September 2025, thePalestinian Journalists
Syndicate has recorded thekilling of 246
journalists and media workers bythe Israeli army in Gaza since
October 7, 2023.
(01:12):
The Committee to ProtectJournalists reports that more
journalists have been killed inGaza than in any other conflict
since the organization begantracking such data in 1992.
Foreign journalists are barredfrom entering the Gaza Strip,
yet local reporters have spentnearly two years risking their
lives to document what ishappening. Without their courage
(01:36):
and persistence, the world wouldhave almost no window into life
inside this besieged andisolated enclave. In this
episode, I speak with RuwaidaAmer to hear what it’s like to
bear witness on the front lines,why her reporting matters, and
how she keeps going in the faceof an unfolding genocide.
(01:58):
Ruwaida is a regular contributorto +972 Magazine, who was,
before the war, a full timescience teacher and part-time
video journalist. Since October2023, she has become a full time
journalist and is struggling tofind the energy and space to
keep teaching as well. Tocreate this episode, we pieced
(02:18):
together a video chat, phonecall, and voice notes — the
result of constant internet andtele-communication interruptions
that reflects the dailychallenges Gazan journalists
face in their work, alongsidethe even greater struggle to
survive.
Ruwaida Amer (02:34):
Can you hear me? I'm trying to be very fast
before the internet cuts. Yalla?
Ghousoon Bisharat (02:46):
Thank you for joining me on The + 972 Podcast.
I know how difficult it is foryou to find a place with good
internet connection. Dedicatetime and gather the energy to
talk. So tell me where you arestaying now with your family.
Ruwaida Amer (03:03):
Yes, I displaced my home in Fukhari area for
three months, last May, 21 May.
We didn't know where can we go.
I was in my aunt’s place, herhome. It's not good place, by
the way, because also destroyedduring the war and I lived in
(03:26):
her home for two months also inKhan Younis refugee camp. Then
we left her placeand spent many days in the
streets looking for any place tolive in. After many days, we
found place in Khan Younisrefugee camp. All the places in
(03:48):
Khan Younis City destroyed, butwe found place to stay and with
my family, we are like sevenmembers, eight members in one
place. It's not like good forthis number, but it's not places
available in Khan Younis or inthe in Khan Younis refugee camp,
(04:10):
because there's many peopledisplaced from many areas.
Ghousoon Bisharat (04:17):
How is life in the refugee camp these days?
Can you describe the scenearound you?
Ruwaida Amer (04:22):
The life in the camp is very hard because
there's many people here. Allthe displaced people coming to
the camp or to the west of KhanYounis City near Mawasi area. So
here's many people. They areliving in the shelters, in the
(04:47):
streets, and the tents camp likethis. So the situation in the
camp is very hard. We spentmany days in the streets,
without any place.
Then we found like home, it'snot good home. It's destroyed.
And like, it's not good place. Ican't describe the home here,
(05:16):
because there is many bombing Ithink targeted this home, and
there is no doors, there is nowindows, there is no walls here.
You live in darkness withterrible sounds. Like this, my
(05:37):
life, it's very hard. It's veryhard to hear the bombings,
because there is bombing everytime. Bombing explosion around
you, and you you saw the smokingeverywhere around you and the
sounds of ambulance and thepeople when they shouting,
(05:59):
“Help! Help!”I’m seeing this. I’m hearing the
sounds in my dreams. And thesounds in my head. It’s too
much.
Ghousoon Bisharat (06:11):
In the last two months, you also reported
about starvation in the GazaStrip. How did you go about, you
know, reporting and working whenyou were hungry with no energy
at all.
Ruwaida Amer (06:25):
Sometimes I stopped my work. I can't, I
couldn't work more. Until now wehave hunger. Okay? We don't have
meat, we don't have fish, wedon't have eggs, we don't have
vegetables, we don't have fruit,just some simple things enter to
Gaza Strip. To buy one kilo ofany type of vegetables or fruit,
(06:51):
you need 40 or $50So it's too expensive.
When I opened my social media, Isaw the people shared their
meals, their types of meals,they ate everything they want so
(07:11):
it's very hard for me to see theworld live normal but the people
in Gaza live in war and theydon’t have any food to eat.
It is very hard to work withoutenergy. You need energy for
work, for think about yoursituation, so your worry every
(07:32):
time about the bombing. When youworry and feel scared from the
situation around you, you willlose a lot of your energy. Okay,
so we feel very hungry. We needto eat because we see the people
die because they are hungry.
It's very hard feeling to sayI'm hungry. It's very shame to
(07:54):
say I'm hungry. Very hard thing,okay, hungry and to looking for
water and how you can fill yourgallons. Because the water is
very important for the people.
Maybe I want to wash my hands,my face, maybe I want to drink.
And also, if I want to go to anyplace, film story or to meet the
(08:18):
people, I need to walk, becausethere's no cars. I walk too
much. Last one week, I spentfour hours, four hours, we spent
the most of our day in thewalking to arrive, the places.
Also, if I will
Unknown (08:37):
arrive, they are bombing around you in many
places so I don't know if I'm insafe place or not, if I will
back to my family or not, if Iwill survive or not. I can't
say
Ruwaida Amer (08:52):
enough about
Unknown (08:55):
this moment and I can't describe them.
Ghousoon Bisharat (08:58):
Can you walk us through your day to day
routine?
Ruwaida Amer (09:02):
Your mind is very busy during the day. It's very
busy because you need to thinkabout everything around you, the
water, electricity, if you havea charger in phones, and laptop,
if you can complete your work orcontinue work, if you want to go
to the work, if it's place thisplace, it's good or not safe or
(09:26):
not, the bombing in this area ornot.
Every detail in our day is verydifficult. It's not easy.
Looking for water, food,electricity, charge your phones,
your laptop,
Unknown (09:42):
caring about your family, connect with or to call
your relatives or your friends,your colleagues, for your work.
So it’s very hard daily routine.
Then, when the night comes itwill be also very hard, because
it's not easy to sleep for anhour without bombing sound.
Ghousoon Bisharat (10:07):
So can you just explain to me a little bit
about, you know, how you work inGaza?
Ruwaida Amer (10:14):
Our work in Gaza during the war, it's like, super
difficult, because sometimes wedon't have internet. Many times
I looking for internet in thestreets. About the electricity I
need to charge my phone or mylaptop. The journalists go to
the hospitals because there'selectricity, not every time, but
(10:37):
there's electricity, internet.
They also covering what'shappening in the hospitals. It's
very hard for the journalists.
Okay, we are not heroes. We arenot Superman, Superwoman, we are
suffering from the war, from themany displacements every time,
(10:59):
lack of food, lack of water,lack of rest.
Unknown (11:04):
I’m not sleeping very well from the beginning of the
war.
Ghousoon Bisharat (11:09):
On August 25th,
Israel carried out a doublestrike on Nasser hospital that
killed five journalists,including your friend Maryam Abu
Daqqa.
Back then you wrote an articlefor +972 Magazine about Maryam
and the targeting of journalistsin Gaza. Can you tell me you
(11:31):
know a bit more about Maryam,and how did the killing of
Maryam and this specific attackon the journalists in Nasser
hospital affected you?
Ruwaida Amer (11:41):
Yeah, Maryam, she, she, she's my friend, still my
friend. So
Unknown (11:48):
when I heard her, news she, she killed. I was so
surprised I heard it, thebombings, because I'm near
hospital.
When I check my phone, I foundher news Maryam Abu Daqqa killed
in Nasser hospital. Until now, Ifeel so sad because she she
(12:16):
didn't deserve this. She wasjust
Ruwaida Amer (12:20):
working
Unknown (12:23):
uh, and overing, because she's journalist, so
it's her normal job or hernormal work.
Ruwaida Amer (12:30):
She was so proud because she covering for the
International website, likeAssociated Press. So she was so
proud, because she wants to tellthe world what is happening in
Gaza Strip. Maryam also had verybig responsibility about her
family, her father, her sisterand brothers, and her son. And
(12:54):
I'm still very sad about her,and she like but she, I think,
I'm not think, I'm very sureshe's in good place now, and she
will be in rest.
I hope that. it's so sad to readthe news about journalists
killed one by one killed duringthe war, When I see my friend,
(13:18):
my colleagues killed by thekilling by many times, yes, I
will feel very scared okay,okay, because there is no
protect of us. The journalistsin Gaza Strip, they are covering
what's happening in Gaza. Ifthey will not covering what's
happening, the world will notknow what's happening in Gaza
(13:40):
Strip.
Ghousoon Bisharat (13:41):
Your career is unique. You are a science
teacher and a journalist. Howdid you get to doing both?
Ruwaida Amer (13:51):
Yes, so I'm working as a teacher, as a
science teacher, okay, but alsoI have like, hobby and talent to
write. I told all the world, I'ma teacher. I'm not just a
journalist. So during the war,also, I didn't stop my work as a
(14:11):
teacher, because I haveresponsibility about them. They
lose their education years fortwo years. Okay?
Because when you teach thechildren, you feel like builds
people, build good people, buildgood thinking. Also, I want to
tell you, when I teach thechildren in the tent, and told
(14:32):
them about the information. Irepeat the information for more
than five times because theydon't have, like, the focus. I
think also it's very hardbecause they are very tired.
They don't have energy for that.
The children lose theirfamilies. Many children lose
their places or homes, and alsolose their two years
Unknown (15:00):
of their education. A lot of the children or students
don't know about the basicsubjects like science, math, and
Arabic and English. So we needto help them, to teach them
about it. And we will start onthe third year. So it will be
(15:22):
very terrible for them. Theywill lose a lot of skills, and
we will, like, rebuild fromzero. I'm also wrote about
them in my articles. I have manystories about
my experience as a teacher, myexperience with them during the
(15:42):
war, because I was manystudents. They were children,
and they had future, and theyhad a dream, but they killed
during the war. From thebeginning of the war, I'm
caring, to meet the childrenevery time, to talk, to teach
(16:02):
them, science, to drawing, totalking with them. That gave me
positive energy to continue towork more and more, to write
articles, to make videosbecause I feel there is very
important voices, sounds. I needto to
(16:22):
tell the world about them. Soyes, the my meetings with the
children change my mood, myenergy to good, to be focused
more, to have good mood tocontinue my work in journalism.
During my work as a journalist,also, I can't tell the world
about the children's stories.
Children and women, they are thegroup most affected by the war-
(16:46):
their lives, privacy and like inthe tents or in their
displacement places. Like, thechildren they lose their
childhood. So I like to covertheir stories every time. Any
side of their stories, theirlives, their experience during
(17:06):
the war I like to focus on byarticles, by videos, by
anything, because they deserveto be in good life, not in
displacement.
Ghousoon Bisharat (17:20):
Do you feel, Ruwaida, that people in Gaza now
are less keen on talking to themedia, talking to you, the
reporters in Gaza? Did they giveup on the need to tell their
Ruwaida Amer (17:35):
So the people in Gaza Strip, we are, they are
stories?
following the news every moment.
If there's new agreementsbetween Hamas and Israel, if
there will stop the war, verysoon, or not and some people
support to talk about theirstories. Some people said, no,
we talk enough about oursuffering, but there is nothing
(17:59):
changed. We are talking withoutanyone hear us. There's no
ceasefire, there's no open tothe borders. There is no stop
the bombing. So why? Why we wantto talk more and more? I think
we need internationaljournalists from out Gaza to
come to Gaza and help us,support us. I don't want to not
(18:24):
talk about all the journalists.
I want to talk about myself. Alot of times, feel very hard and
very tired, and I don't haveenergy to write article, to film
any story, video story ordocumentary, because I don't
have energy. I don't have goodmood to be good and to be
strong. I don't want to likecover more and more and more.
Ghousoon Bisharat (18:48):
Does your family ask you to stop
reporting?
Ruwaida Amer (18:51):
My family are very, very worried about me and
sometimes they said, stop.
Sometimes they said,continue. When I move between
the areas I don't know if I willback to my family or not. The
targeting of the journalists inGaza Strip. It's very hard. More
(19:13):
than 200 journalists killedduring the war. It's very
terrible number. I don't thinkthere's number in the world
before this war. So it's like,make me to go to be crazy, to
lose my mind, because I need tothink every time. I need to
(19:36):
cover the events around me. Butit's nothing is stopped. Also,
we are human, and we havefamilies, and we need to caring
about ourselves, our families,our loved people, so our energy,
like between our work, ourfamily, our
(20:00):
our relatives. So it's veryterrible to hear
Unknown (20:06):
there is journalists killed by bombing, by targeting
directly, like this. Like MaryamAbu Daqqa. All the people, not
just me, all the world, saw themoment of her killing, when the
(20:27):
bombing targeted her directly onlive TV. So it's very hard. I'm
still very sad about her,because we lose very beautiful,
active person. She loved herwork too much. She loved to
cover everything. She loved,loved to to document
(20:50):
what's happening in Gaza everymoment. And she was so excited
to the
Ruwaida Amer (20:58):
moment to say the war is over. So I'm so sad to
lose her, and so sad
Unknown (21:06):
because I will not hear sound again and to meet her
again like this.
Ruwaida Amer (21:15):
But if the journalists stop their work the
people will not know what'shappening in Gaza Strip, the war
is not stops still working untilnow, still targeting everything.
Until now, there's bombingeverywhere. There's displacement
every time. There's hunger also,and there's a lot of problems
(21:41):
because of the war. So we needto cover it and help stop the
war very soon, because wedeserve to take rest from
everything around me, around us.
We are super tired, and we weneed to to take rest and stop
the war and back to our normallife and think what we can do
(22:07):
after the war. How isour life will be?
Our dreams, our future. We havea lot to think after the war. So
we need our energy. We need ourpatience for
our life after the war. So weneed this war to stop very soon.
(22:31):
I hope
Unknown (22:32):
to cover the moment of the end of the war in Gaza Strip
after two years. Thank you somuch.
Ghousoon Bisharat (22:41):
Inshallah, Shukran, Ruwaida. Thank you,
Ruwaida.
This episode was produced byJennifer Cutler with help from
the +972 editorial team. Makesure to subscribe wherever you
listen to podcasts and leave usa review — it really helps new
(23:01):
listeners find the show. Visit972mag.com for in-depth
reporting, analysis, andopinions from the ground in
Israel-Palestine. And don’tforget to download the +972 app
and subscribe to ournewsletters. +972 Magazine is an
independent, nonprofit mediaoutlet home to Palestinian and
(23:22):
Israeli journalists committed toequity, justice, and freedom of
information. Now more thanever, independent media is
essential. Please visit972mag.com and click “Support
Us” to become a member or make aone-time donation. Every
contribution helps us continueto bring you reports and
analysis from the ground —truthfully, critically, and
(23:45):
without compromise. That’s itfor the +972 Podcast. Thanks for
listening, and we’ll see younext time.
[Music]
Ghousoon Bisharat (00:03):
Welcome to the +972 Podcast, your direct
line to the journalists,thinkers, and activists
struggling for justice inIsrael-Palestine. I’m your host,
Ghousoon Bisharat,editor-in-chief of +972
Magazine. Our podcast groundsthe discussion in lived
realities to bring you closer tothe issues that matter most
(00:24):
between the river and the sea.
Before we dive in, a quickreminder that what we do would
not be possible without you, ourreaders and listeners. If you
believe in our mission and wouldlike to support our work, head
over to 972mag.com/membersand find out how to become a
member of 972 or make a one offcontribution.
(00:51):
Gaza is one of the mostdangerous places in the world
for journalists, perhaps eventhe most dangerous.
As of mid-September 2025, thePalestinian Journalists
Syndicate has recorded thekilling of 246
journalists and media workers bythe Israeli army in Gaza since
October 7, 2023.
(01:12):
The Committee to ProtectJournalists reports that more
journalists have been killed inGaza than in any other conflict
since the organization begantracking such data in 1992.
Foreign journalists are barredfrom entering the Gaza Strip,
yet local reporters have spentnearly two years risking their
lives to document what ishappening. Without their courage
(01:36):
and persistence, the world wouldhave almost no window into life
inside this besieged andisolated enclave. In this
episode, I speak with RuwaidaAmer to hear what it’s like to
bear witness on the front lines,why her reporting matters, and
how she keeps going in the faceof an unfolding genocide.
(01:58):
Ruwaida is a regular contributorto +972 Magazine, who was,
before the war, a full timescience teacher and part-time
video journalist. Since October2023, she has become a full time
journalist and is struggling tofind the energy and space to
keep teaching as well. Tocreate this episode, we pieced
(02:18):
together a video chat, phonecall, and voice notes — the
result of constant internet andtele-communication interruptions
that reflects the dailychallenges Gazan journalists
face in their work, alongsidethe even greater struggle to
survive.
Ruwaida Amer (02:34):
Can you hear me? I'm trying to be very fast
before the internet cuts. Yalla?
Ghousoon Bisharat (02:46):
Thank you for joining me on The + 972 Podcast.
I know how difficult it is foryou to find a place with good
internet connection. Dedicatetime and gather the energy to
talk. So tell me where you arestaying now with your family.
Ruwaida Amer (03:03):
Yes, I displaced my home in Fukhari area for
three months, last May, 21 May.
We didn't know where can we go.
I was in my aunt’s place, herhome. It's not good place, by
the way, because also destroyedduring the war and I lived in
(03:26):
her home for two months also inKhan Younis refugee camp. Then
we left her placeand spent many days in the
streets looking for any place tolive in. After many days, we
found place in Khan Younisrefugee camp. All the places in
(03:48):
Khan Younis City destroyed, butwe found place to stay and with
my family, we are like sevenmembers, eight members in one
place. It's not like good forthis number, but it's not places
available in Khan Younis or inthe in Khan Younis refugee camp,
(04:10):
because there's many peopledisplaced from many areas.
Ghousoon Bisharat (04:17):
How is life in the refugee camp these days?
Can you describe the scenearound you?
Ruwaida Amer (04:22):
The life in the camp is very hard because
there's many people here. Allthe displaced people coming to
the camp or to the west of KhanYounis City near Mawasi area. So
here's many people. They areliving in the shelters, in the
(04:47):
streets, and the tents camp likethis. So the situation in the
camp is very hard. We spentmany days in the streets,
without any place.
Then we found like home, it'snot good home. It's destroyed.
And like, it's not good place. Ican't describe the home here,
(05:16):
because there is many bombing Ithink targeted this home, and
there is no doors, there is nowindows, there is no walls here.
You live in darkness withterrible sounds. Like this, my
(05:37):
life, it's very hard. It's veryhard to hear the bombings,
because there is bombing everytime. Bombing explosion around
you, and you you saw the smokingeverywhere around you and the
sounds of ambulance and thepeople when they shouting,
(05:59):
“Help! Help!”I’m seeing this. I’m hearing the
sounds in my dreams. And thesounds in my head. It’s too
much.
Ghousoon Bisharat (06:11):
In the last two months, you also reported
about starvation in the GazaStrip. How did you go about, you
know, reporting and working whenyou were hungry with no energy
at all.
Ruwaida Amer (06:25):
Sometimes I stopped my work. I can't, I
couldn't work more. Until now wehave hunger. Okay? We don't have
meat, we don't have fish, wedon't have eggs, we don't have
vegetables, we don't have fruit,just some simple things enter to
Gaza Strip. To buy one kilo ofany type of vegetables or fruit,
(06:51):
you need 40 or $50So it's too expensive.
When I opened my social media, Isaw the people shared their
meals, their types of meals,they ate everything they want so
(07:11):
it's very hard for me to see theworld live normal but the people
in Gaza live in war and theydon’t have any food to eat.
It is very hard to work withoutenergy. You need energy for
work, for think about yoursituation, so your worry every
(07:32):
time about the bombing. When youworry and feel scared from the
situation around you, you willlose a lot of your energy. Okay,
so we feel very hungry. We needto eat because we see the people
die because they are hungry.
It's very hard feeling to sayI'm hungry. It's very shame to
(07:54):
say I'm hungry. Very hard thing,okay, hungry and to looking for
water and how you can fill yourgallons. Because the water is
very important for the people.
Maybe I want to wash my hands,my face, maybe I want to drink.
And also, if I want to go to anyplace, film story or to meet the
(08:18):
people, I need to walk, becausethere's no cars. I walk too
much. Last one week, I spentfour hours, four hours, we spent
the most of our day in thewalking to arrive, the places.
Also, if I will
Unknown (08:37):
arrive, they are bombing around you in many
places so I don't know if I'm insafe place or not, if I will
back to my family or not, if Iwill survive or not. I can't
say
Ruwaida Amer (08:52):
enough about
Unknown (08:55):
this moment and I can't describe them.
Ghousoon Bisharat (08:58):
Can you walk us through your day to day
routine?
Ruwaida Amer (09:02):
Your mind is very busy during the day. It's very
busy because you need to thinkabout everything around you, the
water, electricity, if you havea charger in phones, and laptop,
if you can complete your work orcontinue work, if you want to go
to the work, if it's place thisplace, it's good or not safe or
(09:26):
not, the bombing in this area ornot.
Every detail in our day is verydifficult. It's not easy.
Looking for water, food,electricity, charge your phones,
your laptop,
Unknown (09:42):
caring about your family, connect with or to call
your relatives or your friends,your colleagues, for your work.
So it’s very hard daily routine.
Then, when the night comes itwill be also very hard, because
it's not easy to sleep for anhour without bombing sound.
Ghousoon Bisharat (10:07):
So can you just explain to me a little bit
about, you know, how you work inGaza?
Ruwaida Amer (10:14):
Our work in Gaza during the war, it's like, super
difficult, because sometimes wedon't have internet. Many times
I looking for internet in thestreets. About the electricity I
need to charge my phone or mylaptop. The journalists go to
the hospitals because there'selectricity, not every time, but
(10:37):
there's electricity, internet.
They also covering what'shappening in the hospitals. It's
very hard for the journalists.
Okay, we are not heroes. We arenot Superman, Superwoman, we are
suffering from the war, from themany displacements every time,
(10:59):
lack of food, lack of water,lack of rest.
Unknown (11:04):
I’m not sleeping very well from the beginning of the
war.
Ghousoon Bisharat (11:09):
On August 25th,
Israel carried out a doublestrike on Nasser hospital that
killed five journalists,including your friend Maryam Abu
Daqqa.
Back then you wrote an articlefor +972 Magazine about Maryam
and the targeting of journalistsin Gaza. Can you tell me you
(11:31):
know a bit more about Maryam,and how did the killing of
Maryam and this specific attackon the journalists in Nasser
hospital affected you?
Ruwaida Amer (11:41):
Yeah, Maryam, she, she, she's my friend, still my
friend. So
Unknown (11:48):
when I heard her, news she, she killed. I was so
surprised I heard it, thebombings, because I'm near
hospital.
When I check my phone, I foundher news Maryam Abu Daqqa killed
in Nasser hospital. Until now, Ifeel so sad because she she
(12:16):
didn't deserve this. She wasjust
Ruwaida Amer (12:20):
working
Unknown (12:23):
uh, and overing, because she's journalist, so
it's her normal job or hernormal work.
Ruwaida Amer (12:30):
She was so proud because she covering for the
International website, likeAssociated Press. So she was so
proud, because she wants to tellthe world what is happening in
Gaza Strip. Maryam also had verybig responsibility about her
family, her father, her sisterand brothers, and her son. And
(12:54):
I'm still very sad about her,and she like but she, I think,
I'm not think, I'm very sureshe's in good place now, and she
will be in rest.
I hope that. it's so sad to readthe news about journalists
killed one by one killed duringthe war, When I see my friend,
(13:18):
my colleagues killed by thekilling by many times, yes, I
will feel very scared okay,okay, because there is no
protect of us. The journalistsin Gaza Strip, they are covering
what's happening in Gaza. Ifthey will not covering what's
happening, the world will notknow what's happening in Gaza
(13:40):
Strip.
Ghousoon Bisharat (13:41):
Your career is unique. You are a science
teacher and a journalist. Howdid you get to doing both?
Ruwaida Amer (13:51):
Yes, so I'm working as a teacher, as a
science teacher, okay, but alsoI have like, hobby and talent to
write. I told all the world, I'ma teacher. I'm not just a
journalist. So during the war,also, I didn't stop my work as a
(14:11):
teacher, because I haveresponsibility about them. They
lose their education years fortwo years. Okay?
Because when you teach thechildren, you feel like builds
people, build good people, buildgood thinking. Also, I want to
tell you, when I teach thechildren in the tent, and told
(14:32):
them about the information. Irepeat the information for more
than five times because theydon't have, like, the focus. I
think also it's very hardbecause they are very tired.
They don't have energy for that.
The children lose theirfamilies. Many children lose
their places or homes, and alsolose their two years
Unknown (15:00):
of their education. A lot of the children or students
don't know about the basicsubjects like science, math, and
Arabic and English. So we needto help them, to teach them
about it. And we will start onthe third year. So it will be
(15:22):
very terrible for them. Theywill lose a lot of skills, and
we will, like, rebuild fromzero. I'm also wrote about
them in my articles. I have manystories about
my experience as a teacher, myexperience with them during the
(15:42):
war, because I was manystudents. They were children,
and they had future, and theyhad a dream, but they killed
during the war. From thebeginning of the war, I'm
caring, to meet the childrenevery time, to talk, to teach
(16:02):
them, science, to drawing, totalking with them. That gave me
positive energy to continue towork more and more, to write
articles, to make videosbecause I feel there is very
important voices, sounds. I needto to
(16:22):
tell the world about them. Soyes, the my meetings with the
children change my mood, myenergy to good, to be focused
more, to have good mood tocontinue my work in journalism.
During my work as a journalist,also, I can't tell the world
about the children's stories.
Children and women, they are thegroup most affected by the war-
(16:46):
their lives, privacy and like inthe tents or in their
displacement places. Like, thechildren they lose their
childhood. So I like to covertheir stories every time. Any
side of their stories, theirlives, their experience during
(17:06):
the war I like to focus on byarticles, by videos, by
anything, because they deserveto be in good life, not in
displacement.
Ghousoon Bisharat (17:20):
Do you feel, Ruwaida, that people in Gaza now
are less keen on talking to themedia, talking to you, the
reporters in Gaza? Did they giveup on the need to tell their
Ruwaida Amer (17:35):
So the people in Gaza Strip, we are, they are
stories?
following the news every moment.
If there's new agreementsbetween Hamas and Israel, if
there will stop the war, verysoon, or not and some people
support to talk about theirstories. Some people said, no,
we talk enough about oursuffering, but there is nothing
(17:59):
changed. We are talking withoutanyone hear us. There's no
ceasefire, there's no open tothe borders. There is no stop
the bombing. So why? Why we wantto talk more and more? I think
we need internationaljournalists from out Gaza to
come to Gaza and help us,support us. I don't want to not
(18:24):
talk about all the journalists.
I want to talk about myself. Alot of times, feel very hard and
very tired, and I don't haveenergy to write article, to film
any story, video story ordocumentary, because I don't
have energy. I don't have goodmood to be good and to be
strong. I don't want to likecover more and more and more.
Ghousoon Bisharat (18:48):
Does your family ask you to stop
reporting?
Ruwaida Amer (18:51):
My family are very, very worried about me and
sometimes they said, stop.
Sometimes they said,continue. When I move between
the areas I don't know if I willback to my family or not. The
targeting of the journalists inGaza Strip. It's very hard. More
(19:13):
than 200 journalists killedduring the war. It's very
terrible number. I don't thinkthere's number in the world
before this war. So it's like,make me to go to be crazy, to
lose my mind, because I need tothink every time. I need to
(19:36):
cover the events around me. Butit's nothing is stopped. Also,
we are human, and we havefamilies, and we need to caring
about ourselves, our families,our loved people, so our energy,
like between our work, ourfamily, our
(20:00):
our relatives. So it's veryterrible to hear
Unknown (20:06):
there is journalists killed by bombing, by targeting
directly, like this. Like MaryamAbu Daqqa. All the people, not
just me, all the world, saw themoment of her killing, when the
(20:27):
bombing targeted her directly onlive TV. So it's very hard. I'm
still very sad about her,because we lose very beautiful,
active person. She loved herwork too much. She loved to
cover everything. She loved,loved to to document
(20:50):
what's happening in Gaza everymoment. And she was so excited
to the
Ruwaida Amer (20:58):
moment to say the war is over. So I'm so sad to
lose her, and so sad
Unknown (21:06):
because I will not hear sound again and to meet her
again like this.
Ruwaida Amer (21:15):
But if the journalists stop their work the
people will not know what'shappening in Gaza Strip, the war
is not stops still working untilnow, still targeting everything.
Until now, there's bombingeverywhere. There's displacement
every time. There's hunger also,and there's a lot of problems
(21:41):
because of the war. So we needto cover it and help stop the
war very soon, because wedeserve to take rest from
everything around me, around us.
We are super tired, and we weneed to to take rest and stop
the war and back to our normallife and think what we can do
(22:07):
after the war. How isour life will be?
Our dreams, our future. We havea lot to think after the war. So
we need our energy. We need ourpatience for
our life after the war. So weneed this war to stop very soon.
(22:31):
I hope
Unknown (22:32):
to cover the moment of the end of the war in Gaza Strip
after two years. Thank you somuch.
Ghousoon Bisharat (22:41):
Inshallah, Shukran, Ruwaida. Thank you,
Ruwaida.
This episode was produced byJennifer Cutler with help from
the +972 editorial team. Makesure to subscribe wherever you
listen to podcasts and leave usa review — it really helps new
(23:01):
listeners find the show. Visit972mag.com for in-depth
reporting, analysis, andopinions from the ground in
Israel-Palestine. And don’tforget to download the +972 app
and subscribe to ournewsletters. +972 Magazine is an
independent, nonprofit mediaoutlet home to Palestinian and
(23:22):
Israeli journalists committed toequity, justice, and freedom of
information. Now more thanever, independent media is
essential. Please visit972mag.com and click “Support
Us” to become a member or make aone-time donation. Every
contribution helps us continueto bring you reports and
analysis from the ground —truthfully, critically, and
(23:45):
without compromise. That’s itfor the +972 Podcast. Thanks for
listening, and we’ll see younext time.
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