Hind Khoudary

Palestinian journalist
Hind Khoudary
هند خضري
Born1995 or 1996
Gaza
NationalityPalestinian
OccupationJournalist

Hind Osama Al-Khoudary (Arabic: هند خضري) is a Palestinian journalist based in the Gaza Strip.[1] She has reported for multiple media outlets including Al Jazeera English and Anadolu Agency.

Early life and Education

Khoudary was born in 1995 or 1996.[2][3] Her father, Usama el-Khoudary, was an engineer who constructed their family home as well as the runway and airport apron for the Yasser Arafat International Airport.[2][4] During her childhood, she recalls sleeping in a windowless room for safety, frequent power outages, and learning traditional Palestinian embroidery from her mother, Marwa.[2][4] She has 8 brothers.[2]

In 2012, Khoudary and her family left Gaza to join her father in the UAE, which she described as “heaven compared to Gaza”. After he died later that year, she moved with her family back to Gaza.[5][2]

Khoudary has not been formally trained in journalism. In 2015, she joined We Are Not Numbers, a writing mentorship program.[6]

Career

Khoudary has written for Middle East Eye,[7] Anadolu Agency,[8] +972 Magazine,[9] RT,[6] and The Intercept.[10] Her posts on Twitter and Instagram have been cited by The New York Times,[11] NPR,[12] and Utusan Malaysia.[13] Khoudary has been reporting for Al Jazeera English since October 7, 2023.[14]

2018-2019

Khoudary reported on the Great March of Return protests for Amnesty International, RT, Middle East Eye, and Kuwaiti television on a freelance basis.[6][15] During the protests, she was exposed to tear gas fired by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) which caused her to faint on one occasion.[6][16] According to Khoudary, the IDF targeted all Palestinians who approached the Gaza–Israel barrier during the protests, including journalists and paramedics.[16] She stated: "Even if you’re a journalist [...] As long as you are Palestinian and there, you are targeted."[6]

In March 2019, Khoudary was arrested by Hamas and questioned for her social media posts supporting protests against living conditions in Gaza.[17][15] They threatened her with charges for spying.[18]

2020 Facebook post

In 2020, Khoudary made a Facebook post about a joint Palestinian and Israeli Zoom call hosted by the Gaza Youth Committee in which she tagged Hamas officials.[19] Afterwards, six members of the group, including founder Rami Aman, were arrested by Hamas and charged with "normalization".[19][20] Khoudary stated that she had not intended for them to be arrested when she posted about the event and that she did not support Hamas. However, she also said that she did not oppose Aman's arrest and had tagged the officials "as a protest against normalization activities".[19][20][21] Spokesman for Gaza's Interior Ministry, Iyad al-Bozm, made a statement that Khoudary's post had not tipped off Hamas to the event and that Aman had already been under surveillance.[20]

In response to Khoudary's post, Peter Bouckaert, a former Human Rights Watch official, removed Khoudary from a Facebook journalism group which he moderated.[19][20]

2023-2024 Israel-Gaza War

From the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War, Khoudary has posted on Twitter and Instagram about her daily life, showing what she describes as Israeli war crimes.[22] Like other Palestinian journalists, her social media following has greatly increased since the war started.[1]

In November 2023, due to Israeli evacuation orders, Khoudary left Gaza City for the south of Gaza.[23][3] By December, Khoudary’s home had been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and some of her friends, family, and colleagues had been killed.[24][25]

Khoudary has spoken about the communication blackouts[1][3] and was one of the first people in Gaza to receive an e-SIM from the Connecting Humanity project.[26][27] Khoudary has been interviewed about the challenges of reporting from Gaza,[28] about which she has stated: “To report and live the same exact thing is very overwhelming.”[24]

In May 2024, Khoudary participated via a pre-recorded video message in the “People’s Graduation”, an alternate graduation ceremony for students from several New York City universities.[29] The ceremony was held in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and organized by faculty and staff from Columbia University.[30] In her message, she thanked the students for protesting and asked them to continue because “we are still being bombed”.[31][32]

In July 2024, Khoudary reported on the killing of Ismail al-Ghoul by Israeli forces for an Al Jazeera broadcast.[33][34] She was visibly upset[35][36][37] as she spoke about the dangers facing journalists in Gaza: "We do everything [to stay safe]. We wear our press jackets. We wear our helmets. We try not to go anywhere that is not safe. [...] But we have been targeted in normal places where normal citizens are. [...] at the same time, we want to report, we want to tell the world what’s going on.”[38][39][40]

Personal life

Khoudary is married.[15][41]

Khoudary lived in Turkey for four years during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] She returned to Gaza in August 2023.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Abbruzzese, Jason; Ingram, David; Salam, Yasmine (3 November 2023). "On Instagram, Palestinian journalists and digital creators documenting Gaza strikes see surge in followers". NBC News. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Khoudary, Hind. "Gaza Airport: The legacy of a Palestinian dream". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Al-Kassab, Fatima (3 December 2023). "Gaza war is deadliest conflict for journalists in over 30 years, press advocates say". NPR.
  4. ^ a b Khoudary, Hind (8 December 2022). "Netflix told Farha's story but families like mine have many more". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  5. ^ Khoudary, Hind (24 May 2016). "My life is dedicated to my dad". We Are Not Numbers. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Saftawi, Hamza; Berger, Miriam (27 April 2018). "To Be a Palestinian Journalist in Gaza Is to Be Always Under Threat". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Hind Khoudary". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  8. ^ Al-Hlou, Yousur (19 November 2023). "The War in Gaza Is Also Unfolding on Instagram". New York Times.
  9. ^ Khoudary, Hind (6 June 2019). "'To sing is not a right in the Gaza Strip'". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ Grim, Ryan; Khoudary, Hind (13 May 2024). "American Medical Missions Trapped in Gaza, Facing Death by Dehydration as Population Clings to Life". The Intercept. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  11. ^ Abdulrahim, Raja (28 October 2023). "'You Think of Dying at Any Time'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  12. ^ Fadel, Leila; Rezvani, Arezou; Majd, Al-Waheidi; Kravinsky, Nina (30 October 2023). "Gaza was in a near total blackout as Israel expanded its ground and air campaign". NPR.
  13. ^ "Gaza terkini: Tentera Israel sasar panel solar yang menjadi satu-satunya sumber elektrik di Gaza". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). 4 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  14. ^ Piper, Dannielle; Srivastava, Vinita (18 April 2024). "The chilling effects of trying to report on the Israel-Gaza war". The Conversation. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "MEE's Gaza reporter interrogated for hours by Hamas officials". Middle East Eye. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b Khoudary, Hind (4 May 2018). "'We have the right to live': Why Palestinians in Gaza will keep protesting". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  17. ^ AFP (14 April 2020). "Gaza arrests for Zoom chat with Israelis spark 'normalization' row". Ynetnews. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Hamas must end brutal crackdown against protesters in Gaza". Amnesty International. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Abu Toameh, Khaled; Lazaroff, Tovah (13 April 2020). "Palestinian journalist: I wasn't the reason Hamas arrested peace activist". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d AFP (14 April 2020). "Gaza arrests for Zoom chat with Israelis spark 'normalization' row". Ynetnews. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  21. ^ Kerstein, Benjamin (14 April 2020). "Ex-Amnesty Employee Denies Responsibility for Arrest of Gaza Peace Activist by Hamas for Zoom Meeting With Israelis - Algemeiner.com". Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Shouk, Ali Al (26 October 2023). "'We are documenting war crimes': Citizen journalists capture reality of Gaza Strip". The National. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  23. ^ Khoudary, Hind (12 November 2023). "I Joined Gaza's Trail of Tears and Displacement". The Intercept. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  24. ^ a b Serhan, Yasmeen (7 December 2023). "The Journalists Covering—and Living—the Gaza War". TIME. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  25. ^ Hankir, Zahra (18 December 2023). "These Journalists Are Reporting From Gaza Amid Israeli Bombardment". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  26. ^ Hesham, Merna (1 November 2023). "'Palestinians won't be silenced again!' : Egyptian journalist Mirna El-Helbawi initiative to get Gaza back online". Ahram Online.
  27. ^ Español, Marc (29 January 2024). "The Egyptians who have sent more than 130,000 digital cell phone cards to Gaza to defy blackouts". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  28. ^ "Journalists 'have zero protection': Hind Khoudary reporting from Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  29. ^ McMenamin, Lex (18 May 2024). "How Punished Columbia, NYU, CUNY Student Protesters Feel About Attending "People's Graduation"". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  30. ^ Eaton, Alexandra (16 May 2024). "Columbia Professors Host an Alternative Graduation for Students". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024.
  31. ^ Mansoor, Sanya (17 May 2024). "Students Celebrate at 'The People's Graduation'". TIME. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  32. ^ Stahl, Maya. "'You have become our teachers': Community gathers for 'The People's Graduation'". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  33. ^ "Al Jazeera journalist, cameraman killed in Israeli attack on Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  34. ^ Al Jazeera English (31 July 2024). Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and cameraman killed in Gaza | Al Jazeera Newsfeed. Retrieved 12 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ "Israel Kills Gaza Journalists Who Covered Dire Conditions During Hospital Raid". HuffPost. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Israeli Strike Kills Celebrated Al Jazeera Reporters Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi". DemocracyNow. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  37. ^ "The AIH Transcript For July 31, 2024". CBC Radio. 1 August 2024.
  38. ^ Khadder, Kareem; Salman, Abeer; Dean, Sarah (31 July 2024). "Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran". CNN. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  39. ^ El Houri, Walid (9 August 2024). "Covering Gaza: The deadliest war for journalists". Global Voices. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  40. ^ Assi, Seraj (31 July 2024). "Israel Is Slaughtering Journalists With No Consequences". Jacobin. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  41. ^ Al-Hlou, Yousur (9 November 2023). "The War in Gaza Is Also Unfolding on Instagram". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023.
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