Voices from Gaza: Journalists risk all to report the truth

By Roberto Cetera and Linda Bordoni

As the war in Gaza rages on, more than 200 journalists and media workers have lost their lives since October 2023, making it the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. Despite the risks, a small number of Palestinian reporters remain on the ground, committed to telling the world what is happening from within the besieged Strip.

Among the few providing firsthand accounts is the team of +972 Magazine, an independent online magazine run by Israeli and Palestinian journalists committed to principles of equity, justice, and freedom of information.

Speaking to Vatican Media, Meron Rapoport, one of the editors of +972, underlined the crucial role his colleagues play in ensuring the voices of Gazans are heard—not only internationally, but also within Israeli society.

“We employ at least five journalists from Gaza who are writing in their names,” he said. “They are not intermediaries. They write in Arabic or in English, and often their pieces are translated into Hebrew. They want the Israeli public to read about what they are going through.”

Telling the story amid danger

Rapoport paid tribute to the extraordinary courage of Palestinian journalists working in the Strip.

“They are very brave and courageous,” he said. “They feel they have a mission… More than 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza. It is extremely dangerous to do this job.”

With Israel banning foreign journalists from entering Gaza and controlling all movement in and out, international media are largely reliant on the work of Palestinian reporters. “The world is dependent on their voice,” Rapoport noted.

From a Blog to an investigative powerhouse

+972 began fifteen years ago as a collective blog founded by Israeli and Palestinian writers. “It was born to give another voice outside of Israel and Palestine—a voice that is against the occupation, and for freedom, justice, and equality for all,” Rapoport explained.

Over time, the blog evolved into a respected news outlet, known for its in-depth investigative journalism and analysis. It also launched a sister platform in Hebrew, “Local Call,” to engage Israeli audiences directly.

One of the organisation’s most impactful investigations during the current conflict revealed the Israeli army’s use of artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza, he recounted, explaining its findings on the system, known as “Lavender” that assigns risk scores to every person in Gaza, generating a list of 37,000 potential targets—with a known margin of error of at least 10%.

“This list was basically a death list,” Rapoport said, “Anyone on that list could be attacked.”

Commitment to dialogue

Despite the devastation of war, Rapoport believes that dialogue is still possible.

“As long as there is a dialogue open, I think there's still hope,” he affirmed.

He noted that the presence of Palestinian journalists in Gaza willing to communicate with Hebrew-speaking audiences is, in itself, a message of hope. “It is good journalism, but also a message: we are still trying to talk.”

Looking ahead

With a major peace demonstration planned in Jerusalem for early May, Rapoport said there is growing fatigue in Israel regarding the war. While many Israelis call for an end to hostilities and the return of hostages, he expresses his opinion that a deeper recognition of Palestinians’ rights remains elusive.

“There is a lot of fatigue in Israel from this war,” he said. “People feel that Netanyahu continues the war for political reasons.”

Yet, he remains cautiously hopeful: Maybe this is a chance to revive the peace movement, he adds, recalling that this movement was quite strong in the 90s until the murder of Rabin in 1995.

“Maybe there's a chance to revive it because the war is a big trauma for Israelis,” and people must  understand that the conflict cannot be overcome with war, he said, concluding that “going back to the status quo before October 7th is impossible.”