Journalists covering Israel's genocidal war on Gaza are finding it hard to survive amid targeted attacks and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to international publications AFP and Al Jazeera.
According to these publications, which have reporters on the ground, Palestinian journalists working for them are struggling to survive as desperate hunger caused by Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid are making them ill and exhausted.
"Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger. We refuse to see them die," AFP journalists’ association said in a statement warning that without immediate intervention, the journalists "could die."
"For over 21 months, the Israeli bombardment and the systematic starvation of the nearly two million people of Gaza have pushed an entire population to the brink of survival. The journalists on the ground, who have courageously reported on this ongoing genocide, have risked their lives and the safety of their families to shed light on these atrocities. However, they now find themselves fighting for their own survival," Al Jazeera said in a statement on Wednesday.
At least 10 people have died of starvation in the past 24 hours amid Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid into the territory.
This has brought the death toll from stravation to 111, including at least 80 children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
"I haven't stopped reporting for a single moment in 21 months. And today, I say plainly with an indescribable pain: I'm staggering from hunger, trembling from exhaustion, and resisting the possibility of fainting at every moment. We stand in front of the camera trying to appear strong, but the truth is that inside ourselves, we are falling apart. Gaza is dying, and we are dying with it. If the world does not act today, tomorrow there may be no one waiting to be saved," Anas AlShariff, Al Jazeera Arabic channel correspondent wrote in post on his social media.
"We can't even reach coverage sites because we have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food," AFP quoted its reporter, Bashar Taleb as saying.
"I've had to stop working multiple times just to search for food for my family and loved ones," he said.
"I feel for the first time utterly defeated emotionally," the 35-year-old photojournalist who was shortlisted for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize earlier this year said.
"I've tried so much, knocked on many doors to save my family from starvation, constant displacement and persistent fear but so far to no avail," he said.
Another Pulitzer nominee, Omar al-Qattaa, 35, is staying in the remains of his wife's family's home after his own apartment was destroyed.
"I'm exhausted from carrying heavy cameras on my shoulders and walking long distances... We can't even reach coverage sites because we have no energy left due to hunger and lack of food," he said.
Calling for action against Israel's targeting of journalists, Al Jazeera said in its statement, "We owe it to the courageous journalists in Gaza to amplify their voices and put an end to the unbearable suffering they are enduring due to forced starvation and targeted killings by Israeli occupation forces."
"The journalistic community and the world bear an immense responsibility; it is our duty to raise our voices and mobilise all available means to support our colleagues in this noble profession. If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories. Our inaction will be recorded in history as a monumental failure to protect our fellow journalists and a betrayal of the principles that every journalist strives to uphold," it added.
As many as 111 human rights groups have called for action against Israel and warned of more deaths from the mass starvation caused by Israel's continuous blockade of humanitarian aid into the territory.
A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that "our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away."
"Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions," the signatories said.
"It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage," they added.
"The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access," they stressed.
Calling on Israel to allow the entry of crucial aid into Gaza, UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said tons of supplies are packed and waiting for the green light in its warehouses across the border as Palestinians are dying of hunger and diseases.
"Thousands of hygiene kits are packed and ready in UNRWA warehouses in Jordan and Egypt, just waiting for the green light. Open the gates. Let aid in," UNRWA said in a social media post.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that the "horror" Palestinians are facing in Gaza is unprecedented in recent years.
"We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza -- with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times," he said in a speech.
Guterres said ramped-up Israeli operations meant "devastation is being layered upon devastation," with the humanitarian system in its "last gasp."
Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday killed at least 41 Palestinians including 10 people who were waiting for food near the aid distribution sites of US-backed and Israeli military-operated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
According to the UN, Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food since the GHF started operations in late May.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has so far killed at least 59,000 Palestinians, more than half of it being women and children. It has also killed over 200 journalists and at least 1000 health care workers and aid workers.
(With inputs from AFP)