Voices from Gaza: ANEM and the B92 Fund Call for Solidarity with Journalists in Gaza

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, at least 232 journalists and media workers have been killed, dozens injured, and many are reported missing, according to data from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

For a year and a half, in continuous appeals and protests, the IFJ has called on its members to show solidarity and urged international institutions and governments to take action, referring to the killings of journalists in Gaza as journacide.

The United Nations (UN) officially declared on August 22 that there is famine in Gaza. This is the first case of famine in the Middle East. UN experts emphasize that currently half a million people are in a catastrophic situation, and that by the end of September, the number will rise to 640,000.

"This is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity," stated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Journalists and their families in Gaza share the fate of all civilians. In addition to extremely dangerous working conditions, they are also facing shortages of medicine and fuel.

"The world must act now – to protect, feed them, and enable them to recover while other journalists manage to support them," called Sara Kudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

CPJ, along with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and over 200 media organizations, including CNN, BBC, AFP, AP, and Reuters, has urged Israel to allow international media outlets free access to the Gaza Strip, "so they can investigate and report without fear of censorship or murder." For 22 months since the beginning of the war, such access has not been granted.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS) have called on European journalists to donate funds to support colleagues in the Gaza Strip facing famine. All media organizations, associations, unions, and individuals have been asked to respond to the "From Journalists to Journalists" campaign.

The initiators of the campaign are EFJ President Maja Sever and PJS President Naser Abu Baker.

"To the journalists in Gaza," Sever emphasized, "we cannot offer only words of support."

The Association of Independent Media (ANEM) and the B92 Fund are joining this initiative. Aiming to inform the public and raise awareness, appealing to empathy and humanity, in the coming days, they will publish testimonies from Palestinian journalists in Gaza on the websites anem.rs and bezbedninovinari.rs.

Veran Matić, president of the ANEM Board and director of the B92 Fund, states that the suffering of the people in Gaza is of biblical proportions and a significant failure of humanity to stop crimes of unimaginable scale.

"The number of killed and missing female and male journalists is unprecedented in history. Those who heroically report do so without basic conditions, exposed daily to the possibility of being killed. We call on all female and male journalists in Serbia, as well as citizens, to join the fundraising campaign for our colleagues," Matić says.

For the series "Voices from Gaza," which will be published on the ANEM and Safe Journalists websites, among others, Shuruk al-Alia, a journalist living in the city of Gaza with her daughter, will speak. A recipient of the International Press Freedom Award (IPFA) 2024, awarded by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), she shares her experiences regarding the dangers she faces, the search for food, and the ruthlessness of the black market for goods, where, in total poverty, one liter of gasoline, essential for even a somewhat safe movement, now costs – 150 dollars, and a kilogram of flour – 60.

We will also publish the testimony of Sami Abu Salem, a journalist from Gaza, a contributor to Swedish Radio, Sweden's national public broadcaster, and a safety instructor for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Discussing how journalists in Gaza are specifically targeted and that there is no safe haven for them, he states – they have no choice: "We know the risks, we are aware of the dangers and everything happening around us, but we have no other choice but to live. And to work, so that the world knows the truth."

"You can't even imagine. Our colleagues work under fire, under rockets, bombs, facing tanks and a rain of bullets. They navigate through destroyed cities without food, without water. Some of them are in school yards, some in shelters, some on the streets. In very poor tents, where it is extremely hot. But they are brave and continue to report," emphasizes Naser Abu Baker, president of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS).

In the narrative about dangers, the murders of colleagues, famine, and physical and mental exhaustion, there is another chilling statistic. Even in this tragedy, many journalists are not adequately compensated for the risky work they perform.

The journalist Jelena L. Petković spoke with the interlocutors in mid-August.

According to the instructions from the European Federation of Journalists, funds can be donated through the IFJ Safety Fund or the IFJ Donorbox platform. The guidelines emphasize that in the comment field, during the donation process, "Gaza" should not be mentioned.