Messages from a journalist trapped in Gaza: Sami can’t think for the hunger

Mike Joseph is a Welsh Jewish journalist and filmmaker who was brought up in Cardiff and lives in Pembrokeshire. More than 40 of his relatives from Germany were murdered by the Nazis and later his uncle, who had emigrated to Palestine and joined a Jewish militia, participated in a massacre of Palestinian villagers as the state of Israel was founded.

In recent years Mike has collaborated with a Palestinian journalist in Gaza, Sami abu Salem, on a podcast series that explored their families’ parallel histories. They have kept in touch since the invasion of Gaza by Israel and Mike produced a film based on footage shot by Sami in Gaza and conversations they had over the internet. It has been shown in cinemas in Wales and elsewhere.

Having moved several times since the Israeli invasion, Sami has decided to stay in Gaza City, resigned to the fact that he expects to be killed.

Mike Joseph

There’s a moment at the end of every screening of my film, GAZA A Story of Love and War, after the credits have rolled and the music falls silent, and now it’s the audience’s turn to respond. In that pause, I sense people thinking: “I want to know if Sami abu Salem is still alive, but how can I ask that?”

I too hesitate every time I think I should contact Sami. On July 21 I opened an exchange of messages, writing: “I am lost for words at your continued suffering. Please know that you are not forgotten, and we hold our governments responsible for failing to act to stop the killing, the siege, the destruction, the inhumanity.”

Sami replied: “Thank you very much Mike. Thank you for your efforts. Honestly nowadays I am focusing just on our hunger. We are hungry Mike. Hunger restricts my thinking. Nowadays I do think just of food. We have no food, no flour, no rice, makaroni and all basic things.”

Two days later, the Daily Express featured a frontpage picture of emaciated one-year-old Muhammad al-Matouq, and suddenly it was respectable to care about Gazans. Evidently they were not all Hamas fighters. Some were simply hungry children.

Recognition

Within a week, French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, and Canadian Prime Minister Carney all announced that they would recognise Palestine in September. After explaining for decades that recognition could only come ‘when the time was right’, the image of a starving child proved irresistible.

A month later in August I messaged: “Sami – I am meeting my MP again next Monday. He continues to work with other MPs urging Government for action against Israel. But it is all too slow, too late. Can I give him a message from you please? I know he will listen. I don’t know if he can act.”

Sami was sheltering in Gaza City, and I feared for his safety if Israel followed up its threat to invade the city in force. He replied: “I am looking for a place to displace into. Israel is “threatening” to invade Gaza but actually they’ve already begun. Two neighbourhoods (Alzaitoun and Alsabra) are under bombing several days ago. Families killed. Houses destroyed and people are escaping. Orders of evacuation come closer to me. And starving is still hitting Gaza. The pics of food trucks and airdrops deceive audiences.

Last Sunday, September 14, Sami wrote: “I am as a citizen under fire, as a father, I do care but in stopping bombing and displacement. Now my first priority is the life of my family. I want to flee Gaza city but I cannot. No enough transportation.

“Honestly, I do not care about the imminent summit of Arab shit leaders nor the EU, because I believe that the result is just statements, no body dare to hurt Israel because it is supported by US … hundreds of thousands are stuck under horrible bombing. Can not leave. Presently I can’t because no enough transportation. Other families because they don’t have money, transportation is too expensive, 500-1000 ISd

“Other families didn’t find a place to move to, the Israelis control most of Gaza strip

“Other families can not because they have handicapped, elderly, physical disabilities and will never find a proper place for the handicapped to stay

“There are some spaces but risky and no sources of life especially water, exactly like sahara desert

“Mike, my family and I are still in Gaza city, could be killed any time.”

Brilliant journalism

If you have seen my film featuring Sami Abu Salem (GAZA A Story of Love and War) you will know his brilliant journalism, one moment documenting in fine detail what he sees with his own eyes, then suddenly reaching for context in the long history of Palestine since Zionism.

He does this now, connecting this fateful moment in 2025 with his mother’s violent expulsion in 1948 from her childhood home, by my uncle’s Haganah militia: “We used to blame our parents and grandparents and tell them “why did you escaped in 1948, if we were you we will never flee… but now we are fleeing, even cannot fleeing, harsher than the 1948 as my mother says.”

Today I did not contact Sami, afraid what I would discover as Israel invaded Gaza City with thousands of troops, and people began fleeing the city in numbers. I noticed Sami was on WhatsApp every hour or so. So he is still alive, and now may stay to die in Gaza City.

Our King has just entertained the only man in the world who can stop this, save Sami, save Gaza, stop Israel annexing the rest of Palestine. They celebrated our special relationship at a Royal Banquet. Apparently this is in Britain’s interest. I find this repulsive, immoral. None of this is happening in my name – but such outbursts show what a poor politician or hopeless diplomat I would be.

Is journalism better? What use is all the journalism in the world if government-imposed famine and genocide continue while we sit down to dinner?

This article was first published by the Britain Palestine Project.