Years to heal: CGTN reporters discuss Israel-Palestine conflict

Israel and Hamas have been at war for nearly 100 days. More than 22,000 people have died in the conflict, with nearly 9,000 of those victims children. The numbers are staggering, but they don't tell the full story. Every victim leaves loved ones behind; family and friends who must find a way through the grief and, somehow, carry on. 

CGTN's reporters have covered the story since Hamas launched a series of attacks on October 7. They've met countless people trying to process the death and destruction, both in Gaza and Israel. Those encounters have left a mark. 

The Frontline

The Gaza Strip is one quarter the size of London and home to 2.3 million Palestinians, giving it roughly the same population density as Tokyo. Aerial photos suggest the Israeli bombing campaign has destroyed around 70 percent of homes and more than 200 heritage and cultural sites. Basic infrastructure and healthcare systems have also suffered extensive damage. 

The UN estimates that 1.9 million people have been displaced. One of those is CGTN reporter Noor Harazeen. "It's very painful," said Harazeen, who has worked as a journalist in Gaza for nearly a decade. "Everyone here is affected by the conflict. The most heartbreaking moments are when we see the bodies of dead children."

Harazeen bundled her children into a car as Israel prepared to launch a large-scale bombardment of the Gaza Strip in mid-October. They fled south, finding refuge in a hospital. "I think many people in Gaza could develop mental problems," said Harazeen. "It may take years of psychological treatment to deal with the things we've witnessed."

READ MORE: GAZA REPORTER: IT'S MORE THAN A JOB FOR ME

Left with the memories

Sarah Coates was based in Israel for the first two months of the conflict. She reported on air strikes, ground offensives and the families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. It took a toll. "The biggest challenge is exhaustion," said Coates. "It's easy to let the feelings, and the pictures, and what you're hearing, affect you mentally. But for now that is something I am trying to block out. I'll deal with it, if and when these problems arise."

Coates is adamant that she is not the story. She can go home each day, knowing that she is relatively safe; the people caught in this conflict don't have that luxury.

WATCH: Israel correspondent Sarah Coates on the challenges of covering the conflict

But in a sense, every journalist leaves a part of themselves in the war zone. Correspondent Yasser Hakim covered the negotiations which allowed aid groups to cross from Egypt into Gaza. He also reported on injured Palestinians who received medical treatment in Egypt. Hakim was "alarmed" when he saw their wounds. "I've covered wars in Libya and Sudan, and they affected me. But not as much as Gaza, especially when I saw the women and children," he explained.

'We have to go on'

Hakim said his family has grown more and more concerned as the conflict has unfolded. "They're always calling. They're always trying to find out when this fighting will stop. But it's part of our job and part of our passion as journalists. So we have to go on."

Reporter Zahraa Alderzi was deployed to Lebanon's southern border just after the conflict began. Hezbollah militants had launched rockets into Israel, announcing later that they acted "in solidarity" with Hamas. Israel responded with artillery fire. Alderzi felt fairly safe when she arrived, because the fighting was centered around Gaza. Then reality hit. "We filmed on the rooftop of a local resident's home," she said. "A few days later he told us the building had been bombed. I kept thinking: what if we were still there?"

There's no telling when the war will end, but the journalists covering this story are determined to continue, even if it comes at a personal cost. Harazeen said some family members want her to quit her job, but it's something she's never considered. 

"They hate the fact that I'm a journalist," she explained. "Whenever a conflict escalates, my mom starts crying. Even so, I love being a correspondent, and I will keep going.” 

WATCH: CGTN's Zahraa Alderzi on working as a mother in a war zone

Alderzi told her parents she wanted to be a journalist when she was just nine years old. They support her completely, but her biggest worry now is her own daughter. She explained: "When I reported from Lebanon's border, I was worried a war would break out and I wouldn't be at my baby girl's side. Sometimes I think: is this the end? But I believe God protects us all, so this belief makes me stronger."

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