By Anadolu Staff
A cameraman who lost his right leg in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip said Friday that he would continue to practice journalism despite his injuries.
When questioned by a correspondent about if he would persevere in his duties, Sami Shahada replied: "Yes, I will persist. Even with crutches, I will carry on with my responsibilities."
In his message to the international community, Shahada said: “They see with their own eyes that we are journalists. We are wearing bulletproof vests. So why are you putting bulletproof vests on us?”
“Why do you want us to wear helmets? Is it for them to target us? Tell them to know their limits," he said.
Earlier, a TRT Arabic team vehicle, which was preparing for broadcast in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, was attacked by the Israeli army.
Shahada, who worked as an independent cameraman, was seriously injured and underwent surgery. TRT Arabic reporter Sami Berhum escaped unhurt.
Israel has waged a military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 33,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the seaside enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while much of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has urged it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.