
In a war-torn region, when the narratives swing between two conflicting sides, survivors have a perspective like none other. Gaza that has been devastated by Israeli airstrikes, following Hamas’ attack on Israel is currently one such place. But as media and social media gets divided and the blame-game takes centre-stage, the truth might be hard to come by. However, there are people like Plestia Alaqad who take out their phones to document the widespread devastation all around.
The Palestinian journalist from Gaza has been sharing how life has become since the Israel-Hamas war that started off on Saturday. A quick look at her Instagram account shows the marked difference in her posts. Her posts since three days ago have taken a 180 degree turn from her previous posts that show her normal, albeit Instagram-worthy life.
In one of her initial videos, Alaqad is seen explaining how people, including her neighbours, keep their windows down to provide shelter to whoever needs it. She says that her neighbours as well as her family did not evacuate. Just as she explains, one can hear bombs going off in the background. The impact of the bombs shake things in the background and the wind hits Alaqad, who stops talking. In the second part of the video, she shows the “view” from her balcony. The bombs and dust from the debris have made the air white.
The second video gets progressively worse. She can be seen saying that there is no electricity and no internet. The latter part of the video, taken some time later, Alaqad says that a bomb went off “really close” to her house. Her windows broke due to the impact. She zooms out to show people screaming for ambulances but the streets are empty. Later at night, she can be seen evacuating the building with other people. She showed her building burning down, but updated later on that not the entire building was burnt.
Alaqad also appeared in an interview with GB News Breakfast Show, where she was asked if Gaza citizens have any way of escaping. “Go where?” she asks in the video shared on Instagram.
In a post after that she shows the safety equipment being worn by journalists, who were nevertheless, killed. “No matter if you are wearing the uniform or not, you will get killed,” she says.
In further updates, she says that there is no internet due to which she can’t post any videos or take any interviews. No ambulances can reach any location because of how destroyed the streets are.
She says that there is internet only in certain areas but it is very slow. Alaqad says that they don’t have any shelter and there are no safe places and travelling is not a safe option. The journalist adds that she has been using two phones to capture footage and has been putting the phones on charge at the hospital.
In another video where she walks around capturing the devastated street on her way to check on her ruined house, she says she is speechless.
In yet another follow-up video she says that there is no water, electricity or internet in Gaza. There is no media coverage, she said, due to how dangerous it is right now in Gaza. “Anything may bomb at any time,” she states, adding that she and other journalists tried to cover a certain area but could not enter.
Alaqad says that she was running out of phone charge and might lose internet connection soon too. The other phone doesn’t have internet, she says.
Many Gaza news outlets have also stopped covering the situation as there is not electricity or internet.
Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza from air, land and water. For Israel, this control is necessary to protect Israelis from Hamas. It also denies the charge that the blockade is illegal as it violates the Geneva Convention. This blockade has made movement especially hard.
Not only is access to Gaza perilous, many journalists who were in Gaza covering the devastation have been killed. As many as five Palestinian journalists have been killed and a couple are missing. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged all sides to not target journalists. It is in this context that the coverage Alaqad is providing is so important.
Around 3,000 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, following Hamas’ attack on Israel that saw the country retaliating with air strikes on Gaza.
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