AJMI - Doha

Press Magazine published by Al jazeera Media Institute hosted the Palestinian photojournalist Bilal Khaled on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3 of each year.

Photographer Bilal Khaled, a survivor of and a witness to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, documented his experience in covering the war for 180 days. The most important issues of the meeting, which was attended by journalists and editors of the network, were targeting of journalists, absence of international protection, and the great role of photo in refuting the narrative of Israeli occupation, reviewing some of the stories that highlight the ugliness of what is happening in Gaza at both humanitarian and professional levels.

Bilal explained dangers and risks that face the journalist at Gaza Strip and the impact of those risks on his family, saying: Being a journalist in the Gaza Strip means that your life is threatened with death at every moment, your family's life is at risk too and you lose it any at moment because you are a journalist. This is the real picture of the situation of every journalist from Palestine. He also shed light on extra burden of Palestinians journalist who cover and document war crimes and at the same time look after their families, relatives and friends.  He pointed out that during the war he realized how he could harmonize between his journalistic duties and his family commitments but, beyond any doubt, it was a great risk and a tiresome burden to complete your journalistic mission to the fullest and at the same time support your family under these difficult circumstances.

These meetings are held with the aim of reflecting real stories, promoting awareness, providing a deeper understanding of the challenges that journalists face in war zones and the psychological and emotional scars that result from these experiences, in addition to focusing awareness to the importance of the role of journalists during wars, and providing the necessary psychological and professional support to those who have undergone such dangerous experiences.