“Keep Going, Anas… You Are Our Voice”: Gaza Journalist Breaks Down Amid Starvation Crisis
Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif’s emotional collapse on live television sparks global sympathy as Gaza residents, facing starvation and siege, beg him to continue being their voice
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Nearly two years into the genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation against the Gaza Strip—with full U.S. support—life in Gaza has been shattered beyond recognition.
Normal routines have ceased to exist, and every individual has been forced to abandon the ordinary in the face of extraordinary suffering.
The horrors unfolding across the enclave have suffocated every aspect of life—including journalism, whose duty is merely to report the truth. Even the voice of the press now chokes on its grief, overwhelmed by the horrors it witnesses daily.
Anas al-Sharif, a dedicated journalist reporting since the first days of the war, stands as one of the most consistent voices documenting Gaza’s daily agony.
Despite ongoing Israeli attacks on journalists, which have killed hundreds, he continues to broadcast scenes of relentless bombardment, siege, and hunger—conditions that have plunged Gaza into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
While reporting live, al-Sharif stood in front of the camera describing the extreme hunger afflicting Gaza’s residents. Suddenly, a steam-powered cart carrying unconscious individuals suffering from malnutrition passed behind him. Unable to bear the sight, he broke down in tears, overwhelmed by emotion.
“Keep Going… You Are Our Voice”
As al-Sharif struggled to speak, a Gazan citizen shouted from behind him: “Keep going, Anas… you are our voice!”—a phrase that has since echoed across social media platforms.
In his first statement following the emotional collapse, al-Sharif posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Yes, I couldn’t hold back my tears in the face of these massacres, but then I heard the voice of my starving people beside me shouting: ‘Keep going, Anas. Don’t stop. You are our voice.’”
He added, “By God, this is my only concern—to transmit the voice of the besieged, starving people of Gaza.”
Widespread Online Support and Solidarity
Al-Sharif’s emotional moment sparked massive reaction online, with users expressing both solidarity with the journalist and sorrow over their own helplessness.
One user wrote on X:
“Anas al-Sharif cried live on air as people collapsed around him from hunger. Someone cried out: ‘Keep going, Anas. Keep going… You are our voice.’”
Another wrote:
“I don’t think anything like this has happened since the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was besieged in the Valley of Abu Talib. O Lord, we are in despair. Grant us Your mercy and victory.”
Yet another commented:
“He was choked by tears. His voice broke and silence fell… but the crowds behind him cried out passionately: ‘Don’t stop, Anas. You speak for us—you are our voice!’”
“They Still Trust Us?”
Another user posted:
“Anas broke down in tears while reporting on starvation. He went silent. Then people behind him shouted: ‘Keep going, Anas… you are our voice.’”
He continued:
“And we say the same: Anas, you are the voice of Gaza. Keep going and ignore Afichay who attacked you today—and the trash who sided with him.”
One user reflected deeply:
“When Anas al-Sharif collapsed live on Al Jazeera, a hungry voice whispered from behind: ‘Keep going, Anas… you are our voice.’ Even as they die of hunger, they still trust us.”
He added, “But we no longer deserve that trust. Their cries have echoed for 21 months… and we haven’t even blinked. We are a nation that only wakes up to fire.”
Another lamented:
“Anas al-Sharif’s tears and the people collapsing from hunger beside him killed me. The crowd shouted: ‘You are our voice, Anas.’ Forgive us, Anas. Only your people still have courage. No Western, Arab, or Islamic history has seen people besieged like this.”
He concluded:
“O Savior, save them. We have no strength or power—only You do, O Lord.”
Gaza Starves as the World Watches
As Gaza’s border crossings remain sealed and aid is deliberately withheld, hunger has become a deadly weapon no less lethal than Israeli bombs.
The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 19 people have died of starvation in the past 24 hours alone, including four-year-old Razan Abu Zahir, who lived half her life under war and all of it under siege.
A medical source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed that her death was due to severe malnutrition and hunger in the hospital’s pediatric ward—adding her name to the list of over 70 children who have died from famine since the war began. (PW)
Source: Palinfo