The two crutches barely support Ahmed al-Agha's frail frame as he emerges from the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Younis, pain etched across his face.

Each step is a struggle for the 37-year-old Palestinian journalist as he tries to reach the scarce transportation that might take him back to his displacement tent just over 8 km away in al-Mawasi.

It's been four months since an Israeli airstrike shattered al-Agha's life on April 7, when he was working at the journalists' tents adjacent to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The attack left him with severe shrapnel wounds penetrating his abdomen, a severed artery, a fractured right leg in three places, and embedded fragments in his left foot, back, and shoulder.

"The initial estimates were that after four months, I could move better and faster," al-Agha tells TRT World, pausing to lean against a wall as another wave of pain hits. "But doctors advised me to continue resting and avoid any work that requires movement. It means staying bedridden in the tent and not returning to the profession I love, which is also my source of income."

On Sunday, tragedy struck again in Gaza’s tight-knit journalist community.

An Israeli airstrike targeted the tents outside al-Shifa  Hospital in Gaza City, where five Al Jazeera journalists were working. Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqea, Hisham al-Nawajha, Mohammed Breka, and Ayman al-Jadi were killed in what is widely condemned as a deliberate strike against media workers.

Their deaths sent shockwaves through the world’s press and marked the deadliest single attack on journalists during the conflict.

Since the war began on October 7, 2023, Gaza has become the deadliest place on earth for journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 192 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza in just over 22 months. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports that 238 members have died and over 500 have been injured, with many more displaced or forced into exile.

A profession under fire

The April attack that wounded al-Agha was no accident.

He and his colleagues were working in an area near Nasser hospital known to Israeli forces and the international community as a hub for journalists covering the war for dozens of local, Arab, and international media outlets. 

"This incident made me compare working in journalism to a profession of death, not seeking the scoop as we had learned in our studies," al-Agha reflects.

Holding a master’s degree in media studies, he had worked as a correspondent for several satellite channels before October 2023. When Israel’s assault on Gaza began, he shifted to freelance work with outlets including Al-Qahirah Al-Ikhbariya and Al-Nile News, primarily focusing on BBC Arabic television and radio.

"Death accompanies us at every stage of our work and wherever we travel, even in hospitals that are supposed to be protected under international law," he adds.

Under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, hospitals and medical facilities are granted special protection and must not be targeted during armed conflicts.

Commenting on Sunday’s attack on journalists, al-Agha adds, “It is a message from the occupation to every Palestinian journalist: you are our target, and your death won't be far away. We live in terror."

Ibrahim Qannan understands this fear intimately. The 49-year-old correspondent for Al-Ghad satellite channel has lived through 22 months of systematic targeting, beginning with his own injury on October 7, 2023, during bombing at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Now a father of five living in displacement tents in al-Mawasi, Qannan describes the Israeli campaign against Palestinian journalists as "assassination and organised liquidation aimed at preventing images, sounds, and words from emerging, keeping the genocide crime undocumented."

The siege on Gaza’s media goes beyond physical attacks. International reporters face strict denial of entry, as documented by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), leaving Palestinian journalists as the only witnesses to the unfolding humanitarian disaster.

Israeli authorities deny deliberately targeting journalists, but watchdog organisations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have condemned what they call “unprecedented violence against journalists” and called for international investigations.

The psychological toll is immense.

Qannan describes bidding farewell to his wife and children each morning, knowing he may not return. His family calls constantly to check on him, while his wife continuously reminds him of personal matters, fearing he might die in the next bombing.

"Death accompanies us in all circumstances. There are no safe areas where we can work," he says. "Hospitals, schools, and displacement camps—all are targeted. Everyone is at risk, but journalists are at the forefront of those targeted."

For those who survive attacks, malnutrition and displacement prevent journalists from fully documenting and sharing their people’s suffering.

Al-Agha, for example, faces severe shortages of essential nutrients needed for his wounds to heal, while living in a tent with uneven floors and flimsy shelter.

“I struggle to get medication, let alone food and basic necessities,” he explains. “Personal hygiene items are astronomically expensive. The horrific bombardment moments never leave my mind, especially knowing I survived what should have been certain death.”

"We are bearers of a message"

Despite the mounting dangers and devastating losses, Gaza's journalists refuse to abandon their posts.

Dr. Tahseen al-Astal, deputy head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, calls the killing of the Al Jazeera journalists “a blatant assassination operation” and a continuation of war crimes against Palestinians.

Yet, despite the fear and loss, Gaza’s journalists refuse to stop. “We are bearers of a message, not just professionals,” he says. “If we leave, who will tell the world what is happening to our people being exterminated before the world's eyes?"

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has announced its readiness to receive an international investigation committee from UN or international bodies to examine Israeli allegations. 

Al-Astal believes the pattern of targeting serves a specific purpose: "The occupation’s aim is to make Gaza a black box, with systematic blackout of crimes committed against its people, parallel to preventing foreign journalists from entering the territory."

He doesn't rule out that the assassination of Al Jazeera journalists was preparation for occupying Gaza City, noting that Israeli forces have historically destroyed media infrastructure before major attacks.

"We had this pattern at the war's beginning—destroying all local media outlets, their headquarters, press offices, and everything related to journalism."

The syndicate has organised protests and legal actions, but al-Astal acknowledges the limitations: "Legal files are being pursued in international judicial bodies to condemn and prosecute Israeli war criminals, but American political cover increases the difficulty of achieving justice for Palestinian victims, whether journalists or other civilians."

"Back in his tent, Ahmed al-Agha remains determined despite his pain and displacement. “Journalism here is not just a profession,” he says. “It’s a national and humanitarian mission. We must continue, regardless of the dangers, because silence would mean complicity in the genocide our people are enduring.”

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.