Here’s the American English translation:
Christina Assi, a Lebanese war reporter, has shared heartbreaking details about her experience after losing her right leg in an Israeli airstrike while covering the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The journalist, who works for Agence France-Presse (AFP), was on an exposed hillside with other colleagues on October 13, 2023, when the bombing began, marking one of the most traumatic moments of her career.
“It was starting to get dark, we were about to leave, and suddenly, out of nowhere, we were attacked,” Assi recalls. Her colleague, Dylan, applied a tourniquet immediately after the first strike, but a second bombing left her severely injured and alone. Amid the confusion, she realized that her press vest, instead of providing her protection, had made her a target.
Assi’s disillusionment extends beyond her personal experience. Reflecting on the international community’s response, she argues that it has been “utterly ineffective.” She emphasizes the need for concrete actions rather than simply issuing statements of condemnation. According to the journalist, assaults on media professionals are often dismissed as collateral damage, when in fact they constitute war crimes that deserve proper investigation.
Assi also expressed concern for her colleagues in Gaza, who, she notes, have been attacked without receiving necessary protection. “Even with the limited footage we’ve received, it’s clear how horrific everything is. But the world hasn’t reacted as it should,” she stresses, highlighting the impunity many journalists face in armed conflicts.
Despite the challenges, Christina Assi has found ways to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty. Recently, she had the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch in Vincennes, France, a moment she used to pay tribute to her colleague Issam Abdallah, who died in the same attack that left her injured. “It was a great opportunity to honor all fallen journalists,” she concluded, calling on the international community to recognize the realities faced by reporters in conflict zones.
Source: MiMub in Spanish
