Nour Swiriki Nour is a talented young journalist who reports for El Sharq TV. Despite living under a constant threat of violence and destruction, she fearlessly stands as the voice of independent media in Gaza. However, ever since the conflict erupted on October 7 2023, things have turned extremely dire. Unfortunately, this prayerful escalation has led to the awful deaths of too many of her fellow health workers from Israeli airstrikes. Even as Nour walks through this destruction, she’s seen it first-hand and now it’s happening all around her. She bears the emotional weight of this devastation on her personal life. She hasn’t been able to see her children, Jamal and Aliaa, now for 16 months. Their home is in Cairo and today, they are 12 and 14 years old, respectively. Nour dreams of being with her family again, but she and her husband, Salem El Rayyes, are stuck in Gaza. With the Rafah border closed, their escape is cut off.
The continuing, violent conflict between Israel and Palestine has taken an immense toll on Nour’s personal and professional life. She’s suffered many displacements since the violence erupted, but she still braves the frontlines to cover the desolation around her. Nour says she experienced a real sense of bitterness and grief for her new coworkers. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), more than 240 reporters have already been murdered. Each day she goes to work is another miracle in the face of daily risk of violence and retribution.
The Personal Cost of Reporting from Gaza
Nour Swiriki’s account illustrates the horrific realities journalists are experiencing in Gaza right now. Beyond the countless thousand lives lost, the emotional toll on those who survive these destructive airstrikes is debilitating. As she considers the tragic prospect of so many of her fellow journalists having been murdered or wounded, 背叛
“Many of us were killed, others were injured, others lost their limbs,” – Nour Swiriki
The psychological toll is an enormous burden on journalists such as Nour. She dreams of a different world, but no more often than she finds herself mulling the fragility of life in Gaza. As she reports on the continuing conflict, she notices the last journalists’ dark perspective. They report being made to feel like they are “in a line to die.”
“Today is not your turn,” – Nour Swiriki and her journalist colleagues
“Your turn might be tomorrow or after tomorrow.” – Nour Swiriki and her journalist colleagues
That imagery of waiting in line for death firmly instills the fear with which journalists worked. They live with the daily sense that their lives are too precious floating in a chaotic, dangerous environment.
A Dream Deferred
Nour wants to be about more than her personal success in the media field. Her hopes are focused on reuniting with her children and ending the cycle of violence in her native home. She dreams about getting to hold Jamal and Aliaa. The hard truth is that they remain a long distance away in Cairo.
“I wouldn’t dare to dream of more than that,” – Nour Swiriki
As her homeland, Nour has an acute emotional pain from this fracture. She wonders why her dedication to the profession she loves requires her to be separated from her children. The emotional burden is made all the worse when she thinks about how war affects families similar to her own.
“Why am I forced — under Israeli fire — to hide my children, to have them away from my embrace and have them grow up away from me because I chose to be a journalist?” – Nour Swiriki
This tragic question for journalists comes from the painful experiences of those around the world. They put their mission to tell the story of the world above all else, sometimes at immense personal cost.
The Value of Life in Conflict
As Nour continues her reporting under perilous conditions, she reflects on the broader implications of violence against journalists in Gaza. She noted that the blood of Palestinian journalists seems to have recently and tragically lost its value.
“I feel that the blood of Palestinian journalists, especially those in Gaza, has become very cheap,” – Nour Swiriki
Her sentiment sums up the increasing frustration within the media community that there is little international accountability or push back against the alarming rise in violence against journalists. This perception leads many, including fellow journalist Mazen Breem, to express their frustration and pain regarding the indifference towards their suffering.
“It tells me one thing — that my life is worth nothing to the world,” – Mazen Breem
Mazen reminds us that we don’t just need kind words – we need real support. He argues that journalists need on-the-ground access to document and bring back the stories of their communities.
“All journalists say we need to help the journalists in Gaza,” – Mazen Breem
“We don’t need sound. We need [them] to come here — to record the video and take a photo and publish this story.” – Mazen Breem
Nour’s dedication to her work comes across as a touching act of defiance. She unapologetically takes a principled stand against the dark forces that want to silence her and people like her.
