‘I knew these giants, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Qreiqeh and Anas al-Sharif’

I met Mohammed and Anas during our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, and we were all in awe of them.

Deir el-Balah, Gaza – The first time I met Mohammed Qreiqeh was at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on January 31 when we had just returned from southern Gaza to the north.

I went to Al Jazeera’s media tent at the hospital, where he was. Photographer Abdel “Abed” Hakim and I introduced ourselves, and we all chatted – about the situation, the war and our displacement to the south.

At the time, Anas al-Sharif was doing a live report.

I felt a warm sense of familiarity. I was finally seeing Anas, whose reports we had followed throughout our displacement. He didn’t look different from how he did on screen, but he had a strong presence in person.

We approached Anas after he finished his report and spoke briefly. He knew Abed well, but it was the first time I met him. He spoke with humility and an easy smile during our short conversation – he had to go report across northern Gaza.