Podcast Summary

Podcast: Global News Podcast (BBC World Service) Episode: The Global Story: A Gazan journalist’s diary
Air Date: October 19, 2025
Host/Producer: Hannah Moore, Asma Khalid, Tristan Redman
Guest: Ghada Al Kurd, Freelance Journalist, Gaza City

Overview

This episode provides a deeply personal look at the war in Gaza through the voice and daily experiences of journalist Ghada Al Kurd, as recorded across several weeks before and after the announcement of a ceasefire. With international media blocked from Gaza, producers rely on Ghada’s personal audio diaries to capture the reality of reporting from inside the strip—a place marked by destruction, displacement, and loss. The episode interweaves Ghada’s raw reflections on survival, her professional dedication, and her responsibilities as a mother, offering profound insight into both the everyday and extraordinary challenges facing Gazans and local journalists.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The War’s Toll on Gaza and Its Journalists

• The Context

  • After the ceasefire, life remains precarious. Ghada’s testimonies illustrate the emotional whiplash from fleeting hope to persistent danger. Gaza has seen unprecedented destruction and civilian casualties during the Israeli military campaign, with journalists paying a particularly high price.
  • Journalists have become the main source of information, with at least 197 killed in two years, making this conflict the deadliest for the profession (04:44).

• Personal Loss and Professional Duty

  • Ghada describes the torment of living and reporting through bombings, displacement, and loss—her own brother and his family killed in an airstrike, her father lost due to lack of medical resources (08:12).
  • “I love this city. I love Gaza. ...The sounds of these drones is killing us all the time. Whenever you are hearing the drones, it means that you are in an unsafe place.” – Ghada Al Kurd (04:02)

Displacement and Survival

• Forced to Flee

  • As IDF issues evacuation notices and conducts airstrikes, Ghada is forced to repeatedly abandon home and office (05:36). She details the chaos of fleeing—a “20 minute drive” to escape becomes a 12-hour ordeal, often punctuated by uncertainty and fear (11:19-12:40).
  • “I think this is forever. Maybe this is the last time I will see Gaza destroyed, Gaza, my beloved city.” – Ghada Al Kurd (11:29)

• Life in Displacement

  • Life in camps is harsh and undignified: “We have limited access to water and we just built a manual bathroom from blankets... Everyone knows when you go to the bathroom. ...It’s painful, actually, for me because I’m taking care of my privacy and keeps me under stress and pressure all the time.” – Ghada Al Kurd (13:16-14:08)

The Emotional Weight

• Psychological Strain

  • Ghada reveals the near-overwhelming burden of loss, guilt, and anxiety, both as a journalist and a mother.
  • “I cannot hide, like I'm under pressure, under stress. ...I was crying all day today... I feel like my brain is full and empty at the same time.” (16:26)

• Memories and Hopes

  • She draws comfort remembering happier times in Istanbul and her childhood, yet these recollections intensify the sense of loss (17:09).
  • “I want to go back to this time where we were very happy, a very happy family living inside one house.” (17:09)

The Cost to Ordinary Lives

• Loss of Normalcy
  • Children stop going to school, begin to forget to read, social structures dissolve, and there is little to look forward to (16:14).
  • Ghada expresses that people blame both Hamas and the Israeli government: “They're playing with our lives. ...The war, then starvation, closing the roads, closing the crossings.” (15:45)

Ceasefire: Cautious Hope and Lingering Insecurity

• Mixed Emotions

  • Following the ceasefire, euphoria is replaced quickly by anxiety—aid withheld by Israel, uncertainty over the return of hostages’ bodies, and broken infrastructure (20:47-21:29).
  • Ghada considers returning to Gaza City: her home stands, but nothing else is certain. “92% of the buildings in Gaza City have been destroyed or damaged...” (22:22)

• Danger Persists

  • New forms of violence emerge: gang violence and Hamas executions, dwindling rule of law, continued IDF presence and shootings (25:50-26:59).
  • “Now, we can return home late at night. This is the ceasefire, what does it mean for us?” (25:28)

Looking to the Future

• On Rebuilding and Leaving
  • Ghada prioritizes her daughters’ futures: “I will invest all my effort now just to teach them and to find schools for them. And if I have the chance to leave, take them with me, I'll do it.” (26:59)
  • Facing the prospect of Rafah crossing reopening, she says: “I must leave Gaza, not only for me, but because of my daughter. ...I want peace for them. I want stability. I want a better life for them.” (27:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Journalism under Fire:

  • “It’s nothing less than heroic what the journalists of Gaza have done. And yet a record number more than any other war the world has known the journalists have been killed.” – Host summarizing media association position (02:46)

• On the Impossible Choices Gazans Face:

  • “[The IDF] are just throwing these flares every day to oblige the people to leave to the south. ...This is another threat.” – Ghada Al Kurd (05:36)

• On the Collapse of Gaza’s Social Fabric:

  • “We were having like, cafes, restaurants, buildings, very modern buildings. And now like, yeah, they're playing both Hamas and Israel, they are playing with our life. ...Retaining from south to north, then resuming the war, then starvation, closing the roads, closing the checkpoints...” – Ghada Al Kurd (15:45)

• On Life After Ceasefire:

  • “It was heavier for me. I had to report many incidents. ...I'm thinking of going back again without electricity, water, without anything, and being away from my daughters.” – Ghada Al Kurd (22:49)

• On the Need to Leave:

  • “I must leave Gaza not only for me, but because of my daughter. ...The infrastructure is completely destroyed, and it will mean months and years just to remove the rubble and rebuilding Gaza, it will take years. I don't want to lose the future of my daughters.” – Ghada Al Kurd (27:36)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:36] - Introduction: Purpose of the episode, focus on Gazan journalists
• [04:02] - Ghada shares her feelings on living under constant drone surveillance
• [08:12] - Personal family losses and realities of reporting in war
• [11:19] - Ghada forced to flee, describes her final moments in Gaza City
• [13:16] - Description of conditions in tent camps, loss of dignity and privacy
• [14:56] - Ghada’s reflections on returning to Gaza after studying abroad
• [15:45] - Community blame of both Hamas and Israeli government
• [16:26] - Ghada’s mental health and the psychological impact of war
• [20:11] - Ambivalent hope after ceasefire, desire for new leadership
• [22:22] - Returning to Gaza City, thoughts on rebuilding and fatigue
• [23:51] - Coverage of prisoner reunions, tragedy at Nasser Hospital
• [25:50] - Violence in the power vacuum and fear of armed gangs
• [26:59] - Focus on children’s future, the need for schooling or emigration
• [27:36] - Discussion of possibly leaving Gaza through Rafah, the longing for peace and stability

Episode Tone

The episode is both intimate and urgent—marked by raw emotion, resilience under fire, and deep sorrow. Ghada’s candid reflections combine hope, despair, and flashes of determination, giving human depth to headlines about Gaza, war, and its aftermath.

This episode is essential listening (or reading) for those seeking to understand the day-to-day consequences of conflict—on identity, community, and journalistic courage—in Gaza.