Hello, my name is Camille, I’m from the Basque Country, and I want to share a message from my friend Ibrahim, who is from Gaza:

« I was shot three times while filming a documentary in Gaza.

One of the bullets destroyed the nerves in my right hand — the same hand I used to hold my camera.

In that moment, the cameraman documenting the story suddenly became part of it.

My name is Ibrahim Abu Ishaiba, a Palestinian filmmaker and photojournalist from Gaza.

For years, I dedicated my life to documenting reality and telling the stories of people living through war and hardship. My work has been featured by international media outlets including BBC and Channel 4 News, and in 2025 I was honored to receive the Rory Peck Award for Best Freelancer, one of the most respected awards in international journalism.

Before the war, my life was simple but meaningful. I had built my own small media and advertising company, and my office in Al-Ghefari Tower had become my second home — a place where I worked, edited films, and built my future.

But everything changed when the war began.

⸻

Losing My Home

Just six days after the war started in October 2023, our family home in Jabalia in northern Gaza was destroyed after a strike hit the house next to us.

My entire family — 16 people — suddenly became displaced.

Overnight we went from having a home to searching for safety from place to place.

Carrying the responsibility of supporting a large family during war is an overwhelming burden. Every day was filled with fear, uncertainty, and the struggle to secure even the most basic necessities.

Despite the danger, I continued working as a journalist and filmmaker, documenting the reality of the war while also trying to support my family in any way I could.

⸻

The Day Everything Changed

On July 21, 2025, I was filming a documentary in southern Gaza about a doctor working in what was supposed to be a humanitarian zone.

Then suddenly, everything happened in seconds.

Gunfire erupted.

I remember the sound of bullets cutting through the air — and then I felt them tear through my body.

I was shot three times.

One bullet struck my chest.

Two others hit my right arm, tearing through a major artery and destroying the nerves in my hand.

I fell to the ground.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down. I could feel the warmth of my blood, and I remember looking at my arm, realizing that the hand which had carried my camera for so many years could no longer move.

Lying there on the ground, I didn’t know if I would survive.

My colleague was killed instantly.

Doctors fought for hours to save my life, and after long and exhausting efforts they managed to stop the bleeding and stabilize me.

But the damage to my hand was devastating.

The nerves in my arm were severely injured, leaving me with a disability that affects even the simplest daily tasks.

Without delicate surgery and long medical rehabilitation, I may never regain full use of my hand again.

And without my hand… I cannot hold a camera.

⸻

Medical Evacuation

After months of pain and uncertainty, I was finally able to leave Gaza through a medical evacuation in order to receive urgent treatment.

Today, I am in South Africa, far from my home, my family, and everything familiar to me.

Here, I am trying to undergo the surgeries and rehabilitation necessary to save my hand and recover from my injuries.

Every day is a struggle — not only to heal physically, but also to rebuild a life that was suddenly taken from me.

Even from here, far away from Gaza, I continue to think about my family of 16 people, who are still struggling with the reality of war.

My hope is to recover and once again be able to support them.

⸻

Losing Everything I Built

While I was still recovering from my injuries, another devastating loss came.

On September 15, 2025, Al-Ghefari Tower, the building where my office and media company were located, was completely destroyed in an airstrike.

The place where I had worked for years — where I built my career and my dreams — was reduced to rubble.

I lost everything.

My office.

My equipment.

My workspace.

My livelihood.

It felt as though I lost my life twice — once when the bullets destroyed my hand, and again when everything I had built over years disappeared in seconds.

⸻

Why I Need Your Help

I never imagined that I would go from documenting the suffering of others… to asking for help myself.

This campaign will help me:

• Cover the cost of nerve reconstruction surgery

• Continue medical treatment and rehabilitation

• Replace essential filmmaking equipment

• Support my basic living needs during recovery

My dream is simple.

To heal.

To hold a camera again.

And to continue telling the stories that matter.

⸻

A New Beginning

War took my home.

It took my work.

It took my equipment.

And it nearly took my life.

But I still believe in starting again.

With your support, I hope to rebuild — piece by piece — and one day hold a camera again.

Even a small contribution can make a real difference.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for standing with me.

— Ibrahim Abu Ishaiba »

The raised fund will be transferred directly to Ibrahim to help him in his new beginning.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.