Watan-The exit from our homes is difficult.” With these poignant words, Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Eldahdouh described the scene of his forced displacement with his colleagues to the south of the besieged Gaza Strip due to the intense airstrikes by the occupation.
Hundreds of Palestinians evacuated from Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip to the south as the bombardment escalated, with the occupation targeting hospitals and shelters in the city. This situation prevented “Eldahdouh” from appearing on Al Jazeera screens on Friday to cover the unfolding events, as is his usual practice
Wael Eldahdouh appeared in a circulating video carrying a backpack on his back, walking with dozens of displaced people on a public road in Gaza. A voice can be heard saying to him, “Thank God you’re safe, Abu Hamza,” to which he responds, “May God keep you.”
When asked about the condition of the road they walked on, the Al Jazeera correspondent replied with a tone of emotion and sadness, “By God, it’s a disaster, Hajj… a humiliation.” He added that “leaving homes is very difficult and painful,” continuing his journey, stating, “This is the situation.”
Wael Eldahdouh defies the occupation despite the martyrdom of his family
Wael Eldahdouh distinguished himself with precise coverage of Israeli airstrikes and the numerous massacres committed in its continuous aggression on the Gaza Strip. He conveyed on the ground the extent of destruction and the evident targeting of innocent civilians in the region.
In October of last year, several members of the family of Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Eldahdouh, including his wife, son, and daughter, were martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home they had sought refuge in, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the midst of the Gaza Strip.
The continuous coverage of the Al Jazeera network, in both Arabic and English, has long been a headache for the Israeli establishment and a pivotal point in every round of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This has made it a constant target for criticism from the occupying authorities.
In May 2021, an intense Israeli airstrike targeted a residential tower housing the Al Jazeera office and other media offices in the Gaza Strip after Israeli authorities demanded the evacuation of the building.
Israeli animosity towards the Al Jazeera network reached its peak with the assassination of Israeli soldiers targeting Al Jazeera correspondent Sherin Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022, while she was covering the Israeli military’s incursion into the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.