Key Points
- Journalist Mazen Nabatin describes the current situation in Gaza as a systematic genocide and a humanitarian catastrophe unlike any seen in recent history.
- The conflict has resulted in a record number of journalists killed, which Nabatin argues is a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth of the ground reality.
- Beyond the bombardment, the population is facing a man-made famine due to the total blockade on food, water, and medical supplies.
- Nabatin calls on the Japanese public and the international community to see Palestinians as human beings with stories, not just statistics, and to demand an immediate ceasefire.
Full Transcript (English)
Host (Jun Hori): Today at 8bitNews, we are joined by Mazen Nabatin, a Palestinian journalist who has been working tirelessly to convey the reality of what is happening in Gaza. Mazen, thank you for joining us despite these incredibly difficult times.
Guest (Mazen Nabatin): Thank you for giving me this platform. It is very important to speak now because what is happening in Gaza is not just a conflict or a typical war. It is a genocide. We are witnessing the systematic destruction of an entire people. More than 30,000 people have been killed, and the majority are women and children. This is the reality that the world needs to face.
Host: We have seen reports that the number of journalists killed in this conflict is higher than in any other modern war. What is the situation for your colleagues who are still on the ground?
Guest: It is a catastrophe for journalism. More than 100 journalists have been killed in a very short period. They are being targeted. Often, their homes are bombed, and their entire families are killed along with them. These journalists are heroes; they are working without electricity, without internet, and without food. They are trying to show the world the massacres taking place, but the international community is failing to protect them.
Host: The humanitarian situation, especially regarding food and health care, seems to have reached a breaking point. Can you describe the conditions for the civilians?
Guest: People are literally starving to death. This is a man-made famine. Israel is using hunger as a weapon of war. In the north of Gaza, people are grinding animal feed to make bread because there is no flour. Children are dying from dehydration and malnutrition. Hospitals have been turned into graveyards or military targets. There is no medicine, no anesthesia for surgeries. It is a level of suffering that is hard to put into words.
Host: Many people in Japan are watching these images and feeling a sense of helplessness. What is your message to the Japanese people and the global community?
Guest: My message is simple: do not become desensitized. Do not let these images become “normal” to you. Behind every number is a human life, a dream, and a family. We are humans just like you. We love life, we love our children, and we want to live in peace on our land. I ask the Japanese people to put pressure on their government and to keep speaking out. Silence in the face of this massacre is a form of participation. We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire now.
Host: Thank you, Mazen. We will continue to follow your reports and ensure these voices are heard here in Japan. We must not look away.
