A Journalist in the Gaza Strip

31-year-old Mohammad Abu Saif reports for ARD from the Gaza Strip, where fighting has resumed since Friday. He works amidst everyday worries and the loss of his family.

Explosions, gunfire, drone buzzing – the situation in the Gaza Strip is chaotic. In the midst of it all is Mohammad Abu Saif. Currently, the journalist is on his way to shoot a video at a hospital. He reports that the situation is very, very bad, with airstrikes and tanks being heard, and people fleeing.

The 31-year-old reports for ARD. Almost every day, he commutes at the risk of his life between the center of the Gaza Strip, the city of Khan Yunis in the south, and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

During the ceasefire, which has now ended, he had time to reflect. “I feel like I need a really peaceful place to find myself. The pressure is increasing. My energy decreases every day,” he says. He feels the conflict between the harsh reality in the Gaza Strip and his desire to find peace.

Just the night before, during the ceasefire, Mohammad Abu Saif was in the vicinity of the Nuseirat refugee camp. Here, he saw hundreds of people waiting to get a little gas for cooking. Eventually, after hours, they might have gotten a fraction of what is usually available, Mohammad says.

Many in the crowd argued with each other when he approached the group to ask who had been there first. “I asked them: Is there even any gas and petrol here? One person said: ‘No.’ So why are you here, I asked. He said: ‘We heard that five motorcycles and a car got some petrol yesterday,'” Mohammad describes the scene. It’s unbelievable – people argue without knowing if there’s anything available. “The situation is terrible.”

Loss of family members and friends

The war also takes its toll on Mohammad, who has experienced many conflicts in Gaza. He hardly sleeps. He wakes up early in the morning to conduct interviews. Then he tries to find food for himself, his wife, and some relatives.

He says he never received anything from the aid deliveries he reported on. Once, when he was reporting on a street baker and wanted to film up close, the baker told him, “Okay, but please don’t ask me for bread or flour.”

When Mohammad Abu Saif talks about himself, his voice is almost trembling. “I work as a journalist. But I also have to take care of my family. Every day is difficult. Everything is hard to obtain. Unfortunately, I have also lost friends and family. I’m very sad.”

Since the start of the war, he has lost 25 family members and six friends. They were very close to him. He doesn’t know if he will get used to not seeing them anymore.

Barely using toilets – afraid of getting sick

It is also uncertain what will happen after the war and whether he can return to his home in Gaza City. Before, he didn’t want to leave Gaza. Now, everything is different.

Explosions can be heard around him, some very close, some further away. He tries to drink less too because the toilets are a health risk, he adds. The danger of getting sick and being without medical care is ever-present, even during the ceasefire.

“I just want the war to end,” Mohammad says in conclusion. His apartment and his father’s house have been destroyed. That’s why he can’t stay in Gaza.

His idea for the future is vaguely formulated: “I want a safe and peaceful life for myself and my family. I also wish that for all the people in Gaza.”

But peace is not in sight. Fighting has already resumed, and it is loud again. The journalist focuses on his work.