Since October 7, 2023, at least 208 media workers have been killed in Gaza. Among those killed in the latest Israeli attacks is young Palestinian journalist Hosam Shabat, a contributor to Al Jazeera. Shabat was killed on March 24 in a targeted attack on his car. He was one of the few journalists who chose not to leave northern Gaza, the site of the most intense Israeli atrocities.
Like many other young people in Gaza, he became a war reporter out of necessity, recognizing the urgent need to persistently document the genocide for a world that constantly censors Palestinian stories. In October 2023, he was just an “ordinary” student, and throughout the past year, he often expressed special thanks to students around the world for protesting in solidarity with Gaza. He also reminded everyone that he and many other young people in Gaza would never be able to enroll in or finish their studies, as Israeli occupation forces bombed his university – along with every other university in Gaza.
Last year, after his fellow journalists Hasan Hamad and Ismail Al Ghoul were killed, Shabat responded to messages from Croatia and helped us compile a list of journalists killed in Gaza for an illustration exhibition prepared by the Croatian Journalists’ Union. In a final message he prepared in case of his death: “For the past 18 months, I have dedicated every moment of my life to my people. I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury. (…) Now I ask you: don’t stop talking about Gaza. Don’t let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories – until Palestine is free.”
We thank illustrator Apolonija Lučić, who created another powerful illustration for this sad occasion, through which we remember Shabat – and call for continued resistance and support for Palestinian journalists and the Palestinian people – against censorship, occupation, and genocide.
Illustration by: Apolonija Lučić