GAZA : As Gaza reels under a relentless blockade, even those reporting the crisis are struggling to survive.

In a raw and emotional video diary, Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud shed light on the unseen reality journalists endure in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing blockade on food and humanitarian aid. “Most people don’t see us unless we’re in front of the camera,” he says. “They don’t get to see this.”

Mahmoud, filming off-duty after a long reporting shift, scoured the markets for food and water—only to be met with skyrocketing prices far beyond reach. Essentials like a bag of spaghetti are selling at $10, a half-kilo of lentils for $15, flour at $17, and potatoes for an astounding $15. Even onions, a basic staple, cost $10 for just a quarter kilo.

“I just realized the cash I have isn’t enough to buy anything,” he admitted. With no access to money or middlemen, Mahmoud, like many others in Gaza, now survives on a single falafel wrap—a modest meal costing less than a dollar. “It just gets you through the day,” he says, “but it doesn’t give you enough energy to get through the day.”

The blockade has pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. “It’s not just about rationing,” he explained. “This is what’s available.” With thousands unemployed and food supplies critically limited, hunger has become the norm.

As airstrikes continue and food grows scarcer, Mahmoud confesses the emotional strain of reporting amid such devastation. “Sometimes I sleep on an empty stomach. Sometimes I don’t sleep at all,” he says. “I try to stay strong in front of the camera, but behind it, I’m breaking. Just like Gaza is breaking now.”

His testimony paints a deeply human picture of Gaza’s deteriorating crisis—one where even the storytellers are starving.

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