By: Joshua Scheer
In Gaza, surveillance has become as relentless as the bombing. In “Watched, Tracked, and Targeted in Gaza,” author Mohammed R. Mhawish, describes how Israeli forces use cameras, drones and digital tracking to monitor — and control — every move of Palestinians. The piece pulls back the curtain on a system where daily life, flight and survival are no longer private. If you want to understand what modern conflict means for human dignity — this story is essential.
As I read through this, more than a few points hit especially hard. Here are some of them:
“Life in Gaza … means losing what cannot be seen: the private space of the mind, the intimacy between people, and the ability to speak without fear of being monitored by a machine.”
“The campaign of mass killing … operated, too, through a system of watching, knowing, and collecting us.”
There is so much more — Mhawish spent 16 months reporting for this story, and it shows. This is a must-share article.
You can find their work on Substack, where they’ve published incredible on-the-ground reporting from Gaza. I’ve added this article there as well.
I blame myself for not knowing enough about journalists and people like Mohammed Mhawish — I’m coming back after a long time in the wilderness, so bear with me as I find my ground. But I found it impossible to sit idly by.
Here are some videos:
This first one, from a year ago, features him discussing what it’s like to report on the ground in Gaza — during the same period he would have been working on the original article.
This is his speech from winning the Izzy Award, and his powerful words are for anyone who considers themselves a journalist and for anyone who considers themselves human. I watched this many times over and over just to let his points sink in. I did a podcast about cultural humility and the white mindset but really about those in power and the powerless. No matter your thoughts, he and those who can no longer speak deserve for us to listen, hear, understand, and have humility. And share with everyone.
Here is that video:
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