Injured Palestinian journalist bravely vows to continue work despite having leg amputated

An experienced Palestinian journalist who lost one of his legs while reporting from the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip earlier this year has bravely stated his determination to continue his work despite the severe hardships brought by his life-changing injury.

Sami Shehadeh, a TV cameraman for Turkish channel TRT, suffered the horrific fate when he was struck by an Israeli attack on Gaza back in April. Despite the life-altering consequences of that incident, he remains committed to carrying on with his job.

After working in the field of photography for 17 years, Shehadeh has faced many challenging situations and covered numerous wars before, but said the horrors which have unfolded in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted last October have by far been the worst he has ever encountered during his career.

"In the war, we were exposed to many difficulties, the first of which was displacement. It was the first time we experienced it. We were displaced more than once. My house was bombed at the beginning of the war. We could never imagine that we would see such events, not to mention the scale of destruction and massacres we witnessed," he shared in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

"For the first time, I fear for my life. A large number of journalists have been killed; there is nothing to protect me as a journalist, as the international conventions and laws that protect me are no longer respected by the Israeli occupation," he said.

Shehadeh's world was further turned upside down in mid-April when he was seriously injured after an Israeli shell struck the Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza, catching him and his colleagues off guard.

"We had prepared our equipment and put on our shields and helmets; our car bore the 'PRESS' sign. As soon as we arrived at the Salhi towers in Nusairat camp, I raised the camera and looked left and right. I didn't see any tank or soldier. Nothing indicated that we were in danger, so I asked my colleague to start filming. I hadn't even mouthed the words when a shell was fired at us," he recalled.

Shehadeh's colleagues and others quickly rushed the stricken cameraman away from the site on a makeshift stretcher and helped transfer him to hospital, where he underwent surgery to have his foot amputated.

"I saw it and I was conscious until I entered the operating theater. They loaded me into the car, and we went to the al-Awda Hospital. I said to the doctor, 'Please, doctor, put my foot back.' Thankfully, he could, but I didn't know that my foot was in such a bad state," he said.

After recovering from the loss of his foot, Shehadeh found himself with nowhere to go, eventually ending up in a displacement camp in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Currently, he is trying to leave Gaza to get a prosthetic leg, but the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt is blocking his access to much-needed medical care.

"Right now, I need help with any work. I need help with everything. However, I will not be stopped from returning to complete my work," he said with resolve.

According to a UN committee, over the past year or so, more than 130 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Injured Palestinian journalist bravely vows to continue work despite having leg amputated

One week after a devastating earthquake rocked Vanuatu, aid organizations are racing to address the increasing needs of an estimated 80,000 affected residents, many of whom remain displaced and vulnerable.

A 7.3-magnitude quake struck the Pacific island nation on Dec 17, claiming at least 14 lives, injuring over 200 people, and causing widespread damage, including flattened homes and destroyed vehicles. Adding to the devastation, a 6.1-magnitude quake struck again in the early hours of Sunday.

Relief efforts in Vanuatu are underway as aid organizations grapple with the overwhelming needs of earthquake victims. The deadly earthquake forced scores of families to abandon their homes, with many now sleeping in tents or makeshift shelters.

The Vanuatu Red Cross Society, accustomed to responding to natural disasters in the region, said the scale of this catastrophe is unprecedented.

"We've had earthquakes, but we've never had so many casualties before," said Dickinson Tevi, secretary general of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society.

While the official death toll stands at more than a dozen, authorities fear the number will rise as recovery workers gain access to areas blocked by landslides triggered by the quake.

In the capital city of Port Vila, the Red Cross headquarters has become a central hub for distributing international aid. Supplies like hygiene kits, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, and water containers are being sorted and sent out to those in need.

One of the recipients of this aid is Robsen Basin, whose home was severely damaged during the earthquake. Although the structure is still standing, it is unsafe to live in.

"The first thing I noticed was the roof. I came inside the house, and I noticed all the bricks, the walls were broken," Basin recounted.

Although his family escaped injury, they have been living in a makeshift shelter in their front yard for the past week.

"Our concern is that it is too open. We don't know what kind of people are walking around," Basin added.

For families like Basin's, the aid provided by the Red Cross offers some relief, but rebuilding will take time. Basin noted that repairs will have to wait until the local hardware store reopens.

According to the Red Cross, many victims across Port Vila are in similar situations, either sleeping in tents or out in the open.

"We know some of them are just sleeping out in the open in tents or tarpaulins. During the daytime, they go to their homes, but at nighttime they don't feel safe to be sleeping at their homes," said Tevi.

Beyond physical needs, aid workers are also concerned about the emotional toll the disaster has taken on survivors. Many face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives after losing so much.

As Vanuatu continues to recover, international aid will play a crucial role in helping the country heal from one of the most devastating earthquakes in its history.

Aid efforts struggle to meet growing needs in Vanuatu after deadly earthquake