BBC Reporter Breaks Down After Seeing Injured and Dead Gaza Civilians: ‘I Have Seen Things I Can Never Unsee’

BBC Arabic reporter and Gaza resident Adnan Elbursh broke down on camera during a segment focusing on the injured and dead civilians in the city as a result of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

In a segment released on Wednesday, the reporter and his team take viewers inside Al-Shifa Hospital to inspect the casualties resulting from the airstrikes on Gaza City. Elbursh and his cameraman eventually come across friends they recognize who have been injured and the story suddenly takes a personal turn.

The conflict arose over the weekend when Hamas launched a land, air, and sea attack on Israel resulting in the capture, torture, and deaths of more than 1,000 civilians, including children.

“Among the dead and wounded, my cameraman, Mahmud has seen his friend Malik. Malik has managed to survive, but his family have not,” Elbursh notes. “This is my local hospital. Inside are my friends, my neighbors. This is my community. Today has been one of the most difficult days in my career. I have seen things I can never unsee.”

The camera then focuses on a crying young girl whose relatives were killed and her home is destroyed. Elbursh tells viewers that he has a daughter the same age and he “wants to give her a hug.”

As the segment continues, the reporter explains that the corridors are filled with bodies and the “morgue can no longer cope,” resulting in the “dead being given no dignity and the injured being left in pain.”

“You would never want to become the story. It’s in my city. I feel helpless as the dead were given no dignity and the injured are left in pain,” Elbursh concludes as the camera focuses on him wiping away tears from his eyes while falling to his knees.

Watch the full segment above via the BBC.