Since Israel began its devastating attack on Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 31 media professionals have been killed, journalist Mohammed Abu Hatab became the latest to lose his life on November 2.
Abu Hatab lost his life in an Israeli airstrike on his home in South Gaza's Khan Younis, alongside 11 members of his family.
Palestine TV reporter Salman Al Bashir, who had been reporting alongside Hatab until moments before the fatal incident, expressed the profound sense of vulnerability journalists experience in the conflict zone.
“We can’t bear this anymore. We are exhausted, we are here victims and martyrs awaiting our deaths, we are dying one after the other and no one cares about us or the large-scale catastrophe and the crime in Gaza…No protection, no international protection at all, no immunity to anything, this protection gear does not protect us and not those helmets. These are just slogans that we are wearing, it doesn’t protect any journalist at all,” he said, as his voice cracked.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is actively investigating numerous unconfirmed cases of killed, missing, or detained journalists, highlighting the widespread risks faced by media professionals covering the conflict. The toll on both sides of the conflict is devastating, with over 10,000 reported deaths in Gaza and more than 1,400 in Israel.
As news of Hatab's death sent shockwaves through the newsroom, Bashir underscored the urgent need for international protection. He expressed the collective exhaustion and despair felt by journalists who, despite the risks, continue to report on the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza.