Voices of Resilience: Al Jazeera Correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh’s Struggle Amidst Gaza’s 80-Day War

Watan-The correspondent of Al Jazeera channel and its bureau chief in the Gaza Strip, Wael Al-Dahdouh, has sent messages filled with challenge and resilience as the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip reaches its 80th day.

In a video clip recorded outdoors, Al-Dahdouh stated that the Israeli war has inflicted immense suffering on Palestinians, costing them a toll like never before.

And despite all this pain, despite everything that has happened and is happening, Palestinians are confident that one day this war will end, stop, and leave its burdens behind,” he added.

He continued, “We, or those of us who remain, will return to our homes and rebuild them anew. We will inhabit them with those who are left among us despite everything.”

He emphasized that Palestinians have no other choice, saying, “We have no other options because this is our land. We were born, lived, grew up, and were raised in it, and we belong to it.”

Injury of Wael Al-Dahdouh

Wael Al-Dahdouh was injured as a result of an Israeli shelling on Farhana School in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, in an attack that led to the martyrdom of his colleague, the photographer Samer Abu Daka.

The martyr Samer Abu Daka remained lying on the ground, bleeding and surrounded in the vicinity of Farhana School for about 6 hours after being injured. The ambulance could not reach him due to injuries sustained from shrapnel fired by an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft.

Wael Al-Dahdouh had previously revealed that his hand required nerve mapping and a highly precise surgical intervention, which is not available in the Gaza Strip, neither in terms of specialization nor in terms of the necessary equipment and devices.

Al-Dahdouh explained that the situation worsens during times of war, making the recovery mission almost impossible. He stated, “We hope that this cloud will dissipate, and this war will stop, and I will find an opportunity for treatment so that my hand can function as it did before.”

He emphasized that regardless of this injury or any other, as long as he is able to stand or even sit in front of the camera and speak into the microphone, he will not hesitate and will never be delayed.

Wael Al-Dahdouh had suffered the loss of many family members, including his wife, two of his children, and a grandchild, in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the house they had sought refuge in.