Journalists honoured at the Doha Forum
Al Jazeera journalists Wael Dahdouh and Carmen Joukhadar were among six media workers honoured at the Doha Forum for political dialogue for their sacrifices made reporting from conflict zones.
Dahdouh, Al Jazeera Arabic’s Gaza bureau chief, was wounded in an Israeli drone attack in southern Gaza last December that killed Al Jazeera Arabic’s cameraperson Samer Abudaqa while they were reporting. Dahdouh also lost his his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in Israeli attacks.
In October 2023, Al Jazeera’s Carmen Joukhadar was injured in an Israeli air attack in Lebanon that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and wounded several other journalists.
AFP journalists Christina Assi and Dylan Collins, who were injured alongside Joukhadar in the attack, also received awards, along with Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza and Afghan radio journalist Sadaf Popalzai.
“I felt like there’s a need to keep speaking up, sharing our story, for me, for us, for Issam and all our colleagues who been targeted this year,” Assi, who had to have her right leg amputated, was quoted by AFP as saying.
“I’m still in a wheelchair, and I still need another year to start walking. However, I just can’t wait for that day because that’s how we will get back our justice,” Assi said. “You keep fighting until the day you actually stand up, hold your camera and do what you love, because that’s our duty, and that’s our job.”
Collins was wounded that day shortly after suffering an injury in Ukraine.
“I lost several friends in Ukraine. I lost several friends in Gaza. I lost friends in Lebanon. I think sadly, it’s never been more dangerous of a time to be a journalist,” he said. “We’ve watched … this label of press on our chest. It’s supposed to protect us, and it’s sadly turned us into a target.”
Funds from the prize, awarded by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will be donated to the Rory Peck Trust, a nonprofit organisation supporting freelance journalists.
Qatar says ‘momentum’ building back up in Gaza ceasefire efforts
A month after suspending its mediation bid, Qatar has said it sees “momentum” in efforts to reach a deal to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the country took a step back from mediating Gaza ceasefire talks because it failed to see “a real willingness” to end the war.
But the minister said that after the United States presidential election on November 5, Qatar has sensed “that the momentum is coming back”.
“We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration [of US President-elect Donald Trump] in order to achieve a deal even before the president comes [into] office” in January, Al Thani said.
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