The Palestine-Israel war has been a protracted conflict that has lasted for decades, creating a situation full of violence and suffering. In this situation, journalists have the involvement to play an important role in revealing facts, presenting information, and bringing international attention to the tragedy that is happening accurately and factually. One figure who deserves to be appreciated for his extraordinary dedication and fortitude in reporting this conflict is a veteran journalist Wael Hamdan Ibrahim Al-Dahdouh or better known as Wael Al-Dahdouh. He is the name of a journalist and Al-Jazeera bureau chief in Gaza City, who was born on April 30 1970 in Zaytoun, the oldest neighborhood in Gaza City, Palestine.
This writing aims to determine the important role played by veteran journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh in reporting the war situation between Palestine and Israel. By highlighting his dedication which has had a significant impact on expressing justice and understanding among the global public as well as his steadfastness in the face of risk and suffering.
Wael Al-Dahdouh is a journalist who has reported on the Palestinian-Israeli war situation for many years. As a veteran journalist, he has witnessed countless violence and endured unimaginable suffering in his efforts to provide top-notch reporting. Wael Al-Dahdouh started his first career as a correspondent for a newspaper in Gaza City in 1998. He also participated as a writer for Palestine magazine before becoming part of Al-Jazeera in 2004. During his time as a journalist he also received several awards. , one of which is the Peace Through Media Award (2013) by the International Media Awards in London.
As a veteran journalist, Wael Al-Dahdouh has built a reputation as an individual who can be relied on to provide accurate information. Its dedication to journalistic integrity is one aspect that makes it a trusted news source. He has a big responsibility and risk in conveying correct news, which reflects the reality on the ground. He not only recorded the facts, but also tried to understand the background and context of every event that occurred during the war.
When he was young he dreamed of becoming a doctor, but that dream was buried because he had to spend his youth in an Israeli prison for seven years. He works as a journalist not only to meet his living needs, but also to giving voice and expressing the truth amidst the uncertainty of the current situation. He always strives to give a voice to those who are often unheard in this conflict, including civilian victims, children, and all marginalized groups of society and invites the entire world community to feel and understand the complexity of those who are not heard behind the situation that occurs. .
In October 2023, he had to abandon some of his family members because of a missile attack by Israel which attacked the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the center of Gaza City, claiming the lives of his wife, son, daughter and grandchildren. This also happened in January 2024, byHis eldest son, Hamza, was also an Al Jazeera journalist who was killed as a result of an Israeli attack in the southern Gaza Strip.As for his close colleague, cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, while he was reporting with him, he was hit by an air strike which killed him. During that incident, Wael Al-dahdouh was hit by shrapnel in his right hand and hip, which required him to go to Qatar for medical treatment.
Another airstrike also hit a veteran Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akhleh from Al-Jazeera. In 2022 hekilled due to a target attack by Israeli troops while covering a military attack in Janin City, Palestinian territory. He is widely known for his coverage of the Palestine-Israel war for 25 years. He is also an extraordinary veteran journalist figure. His death was a case that caused a lot of criticism from around the world and was the most widely attended case in Palestinian history.
The suffering that Wael Al-Dahdouh experienced after being abandoned by the people he loved made him so devastated that he was unable to hold back his tears. He couldn’t convey the feelings he was experiencing. However, he thought that he could not grieve privately and chose to convey to the whole world what the Palestinian people actually experience every day.
Wael Al-Dahdouh’s role as a veteran journalist in covering various stories about the war between Palestine and Israel is a form of respect. Even though he had experienced various sufferings and risks and the abandonment of many of the people he loved, this did not make him resign from being a journalist, he remained committed to his beliefs in order to fight for the rights of the Palestinian people.
His steadfastness in dangerous and risky situations inspired the entire world community not to be afraid to speak and act for the truth. This taught me a lesson as a student that we must have the courage to face injustice around us and play an active role in fighting for fair rights. Apart from that, Wael Al-dahdouh’s role as a veteran journalist also reminds me of the importance of humanitarian values and justice as well as fighting to fight oppression and fighting for human rights for the Palestinian people.
By: Aghnia Bunga Faiza
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