Malak A Tantesh is a journalist based in Gaza. On September 16th, as Israel commenced a full-scale ground assault in Gaza City, she was among the individuals attempting to escape the city. Amidst her 11th displacement within the past 18 months, she documented her thoughts via voice messages. “We all express a desire to stay, but deep down, we understand we have no other option,” she articulated.
In a conversation with Lucy Hough, she describes the experience of being displaced numerous times while covering the unfolding events around her, all at the young age of 20. The Israeli blockade of the strip, leading to widespread hunger and famine, adversely impacted her work: “I was reporting on stories of hunger and famine while personally experiencing the brink of starvation. I was on the verge of collapse, as we were surviving on one meal a day.”
Over 200 journalists have lost their lives in Gaza. Despite having nightmares about being targeted, she staunchly refuses to give up: “When I write their stories, I feel alive, which enables me to convey their emotions to the outside world.” In the face of adversity, she expresses a deep-rooted determination not to leave: “My grandparents taught us to love this land and to care for it. We are inextricably one with the land.”
