All three are originally from Gaza. Khatab is currently based in Egypt, while Eskafi and Omar remain reporting from within the enclave. Conditions on the ground are dangerous, terrifying, and, as they describe, “uninhabitable.”

Still, they continue to document what is happening, even as the world’s attention shifts elsewhere.

“At the start of the genocide, I lost a cherished friend. I cried for two consecutive days. After that, I lost many other cherished friends whom I was even closer to, but I was not able to cry,” Eskafi said. “We are human. We have feelings. Enough is enough.”

Eskafi said he has lost ten members of his extended family and between 20 to 30 friends.

Khatab and Omar echoed his grief. Both said they have “lost count” of how many loved ones and neighbours have been killed.

“Every day we hear of someone from our families, or a friend, or someone from our neighbourhood who has died,” Khatab added.

She also explained that since the breakdown of the temporary ceasefire in late 2023, conditions have only worsened. As global attention turned to other geopolitical flashpoints, including rising tensions between Iran and Israel, the Netanyahu government ramped up its operations in Gaza.

“They have always felt free to do what they want in Gaza,” Khatab said. “But now it is extreme. With the world turning its head, Israel has intensified the bombing.”

What was already a humanitarian catastrophe has escalated further. Entire neighbourhoods are being wiped out and hundreds are dying every day, Khatab emphasised.

Meanwhile, aid remains blocked or severely restricted. Basic necessities such as food, medicine, fuel, and clean water are nearly impossible to access. Prices for what little remains have skyrocketed, surpassing 230% of their original cost, while civilians continue to be shot dead while trying to collect aid.

Omar’s situation is particularly difficult as he continues to be denied a life-saving heart surgery due to the resource limitations in Gaza. He needs a pacemaker and could die at any moment without one. His brother is a permanent resident in Canada and has been urging the government to safely evacuate Omar.

“Canada promised to reunite families like ours – but in reality, they have not evacuated a single Palestinian from Gaza since the war began. Meanwhile, other countries have evacuated thousands of their citizens and families,” a post penned by his brother reads.

Omar’s brother has set up a petition and a fundraiser to help safely evacuate his family from Gaza to Canada as promised by the Canadian government immigration measure aimed at aiding Canadians and Permanent Residents with family members in Gaza.

As the death toll climbs and the headlines fade, journalists like Eskafi, Omar, and Khatab remain among the few still bearing witness. Their work, carried out under the constant threat of violence and loss, is not just a form of resistance. It is one of the last remaining tools for truth in a war that continues to erase lives, homes, and histories at an unforgiving pace.