“I was given a new life on December 21, 2018.”

That’s what Mohammed Asad wrote to me after shrapnel from an Israeli sniper’s bullet narrowly missed him as he was covering the Great March of Return protests in Gaza on Friday.

Mohammed’s camera took the bullet instead.

But just meters away from Mohammed, a Palestinian child was not so fortunate.

The same bullet whose fragments destroyed the camera, hit 16-year-old Muhammad al-Jahjouh in the neck, killing him. Shrapnel from the exploding round wounded one other person.

Muhammad al-Jahjouh is one of more than 50 Palestinian children killed by Israeli occupation forces so far this year – an average of one child per week.

Mohammed Asad was thankfully spared becoming the third Palestinian journalist killed in the line of duty this year documenting the daily horrors Israel inflicts.

I told Mohammed that his camera can be replaced – and it will be – but he is irreplaceable. We never want him to face danger that he can avoid.

For Mohammed and his colleagues, however, bearing witness to what Israel is doing is a calling. His lucky escape, even as a child’s life was taken just in front of him, is a sobering reminder of the dangers journalists in Palestine bravely face every day.

In fact, Mohammed reported on how Israel deliberately targets journalists in a video he made for The Electronic Intifada in May.

Our calling as The Electronic Intifada is to provide as much support and opportunity to Mohammed and other journalists as we can.

“I think that the destruction of my camera will make the Israeli occupation happy, because it documented so many crimes and violations over the years,” Mohammed told me.

In words that touched me, he paid tribute to “the great role of The Electronic Intifada that has stood by me and supported me. This is the role of honorable people, the role of those who know the language of the media and how to talk to the world about the cries of an unarmed people.”

We are so proud of the photojournalism Mohammed has done especially for The Electronic Intifada, telling unique, moving and beautiful stories from Gaza.

Remember, it is your support that allows us – and Mohammed – to do this work.

If you’ve already made a donation this season, please accept this message as another word of thanks from us, and from Mohammed.

If you have not, would you make a donation right now so we can can continue this work with strength and determination in 2019?

Donations are welcome from any country and are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

Thanks to our generous readers, we’ve raised more than $45,000 towards our December goal of $75,000. But with just days to go, we still need to raise $30,000.

We can’t get there without your support.

Thank you.

Ali Abunimah

Executive Director

PS: We raise most of the funds we need for the coming year during our year-end campaign. Every person’s donation counts, so please make a gift today.

Powerful reporting made possible by you

These stories are just a sample of the essential work The Electronic Intifada has published this year – made possible by people who care about justice in Palestine, like you.

Other ways to give

If you can’t or prefer not to give online, you can also make a donation by check.

Make your check payable to “MECCS/EI” and mail it to:

MECCS/EI

1507 E 53rd St #500

Chicago, IL 60615

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