In April this year, forumZFD and its partner organization Dooz concluded a training series on peace journalism for young media students from the West Bank. The workshops aimed to provide the participants with tools to describe problems in their social environment from a non-violent perspective. There was a particular focus on conflict-sensitive reporting, which has become even more urgent following the Hamas attack on October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza.
Project participants come from various areas in the north of the West Bank, where violence has increased significantly in the last year. Army raids, attacks by Israeli settlers, and the closure of checkpoints shape their everyday lives. In light of these events, the young media students asked themselves in various workshops what role they should play as future journalists. They also wrote reports about the problems in their communities, which they presented at the final event of the training series.
Invisible stories
One report tells the stories of Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip who sought medical help in the West Bank and were not allowed to return to Gaza after October 7. For example, a man traveled to Nablus to be treated at the Al-Najah University Hospital. There he was arrested by the Israeli army and detained for a month. Only after his release, he found out about the destruction in Gaza and the death of his family members.
Childhood in times of war
Another report tells the story of a three-year-old child from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The child was attacked and seriously injured by a dog during an army operation. The media students documented the psychological impact of such attacks on children, highlighting how constant violence is affecting the lives and mental health of the youngest generation. One participant explained: "This is a very difficult issue in our society. Especially nowadays, mothers want to keep their children at home because they are afraid of all the violence. The limited opportunities to go outside affect children's emotional well-being."
Living with a disability
The living conditions of people with disabilities were also addressed. A young man living in the Tulkarem refugee camp, who relies on a wheelchair, struggles daily with the destroyed roads and the constant threat of military operations. Reports like this show how the attacks exacerbate the already difficult living conditions of people with disabilities.
Some of the students also looked at the journalistic coverage of the war in Gaza. They examined the role of grassroots journalism given the restrictions on professional journalists in the war zone. At the closing event, this reportage was awarded the prize for best work due to the thorough research and great commitment of the participants. All reports produced as part of the forumZFD and Dooz training series offer in-depth insights into the reality of life in the West Bank and Gaza.