PalCast released a new episode titled Journalism Is Not a Crime – Al Jazeera Correspondent, Hani Mahmoud. The conversation featured Hani Mahmoud, who left academia nearly two years ago to dedicate his life to reporting from Gaza. As Al Jazeera English’s correspondent in Gaza City, he became one of the most vital voices documenting Palestinian life under siege. His work carried the stories of Gaza’s people to the world, ensuring they were neither silenced nor distorted.
In this episode, hosts Yousef and Tony interviewed Hani about his journey into journalism and the realities of reporting under bombardment. He described the challenges of covering the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and stressed the importance of Palestinians telling their own stories. For Hani, the unfiltered truth of life in Gaza was powerful enough without needing embellishment, and he insisted that controlling the Palestinian narrative remained central to resisting misrepresentation.
Hani also spoke about the constant dangers faced by journalists in Gaza. He explained the risks of aerial surveillance, targeted attacks, and the heavy psychological burden of protecting his family while reporting. He described Israel’s evacuation orders as a tactic of ethnic cleansing, carried out under relentless bombing that left civilians with a 50/50 chance of survival whether they stayed or fled. His testimony revealed the depth of displacement and destruction Palestinians endured without the guarantee of safety.
The episode further highlighted the daily struggles of life under siege, from the scarcity of basic goods to the irreversible damage of malnutrition among children. Hani contrasted the global outrage over the killing of privileged figures with the silence surrounding murdered Palestinian journalists, underscoring the world’s double standards. Through his voice, listeners heard not only the story of a journalist but the story of a people surviving against all odds. The episode is now available on Apple and Spotify.