Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Camera footage cannot capture full scale of Gaza crisis: former CNN correspondent

China

China

China

Camera footage cannot capture full scale of Gaza crisis: former CNN correspondent

2025-08-26 17:44 Last Updated At:21:07

Former CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon reflected on her multiple reporting trips to Gaza, revealing that the true scale of the crisis often escapes the lens of a camera.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Damon shared firsthand accounts of the devastation and trauma she witnessed, emphasizing that much of Gaza's reality remains outside the frame of media coverage.

"Our social media screens and our TV screens are flooded with these horrific images. And that's one part of what's happening in Gaza. But the other part of what's happening in Gaza that I genuinely wish more people could see is how the population's humanity has continued to survive in these unimaginable circumstances," said Damon.

The former correspondent also shed light on the everyday heartbreak that unfolds beyond the camera's reach, moments of quiet desperation and resilience that rarely make headlines.

"You don't see the constant images that you see when you're driving through the areas of Gaza that we're able to drive through, of children without shoes on, rummaging through garbage or running after a vehicle hoping that they might be able to snag a bottle of water. You don't see the way that the exhausted mother cradling her baby kisses the top of its head," she said.

With two decades of frontline reporting across nearly every major conflict zone, Damon highlighted that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is unlike anything she has ever witnessed.

"I have been in a lot of war zones. I have been in just about every single war zone you could possibly think of over the last 20 years, and Gaza does not even come close to anything that I have seen," said the former correspondent.

Camera footage cannot capture full scale of Gaza crisis: former CNN correspondent

Camera footage cannot capture full scale of Gaza crisis: former CNN correspondent

China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday aired a grand New Year gala to welcome the arrival of 2026 with celebrations focused on the richness of Chinese culture, and blending traditional arts with contemporary creativity in a nationwide showcase of unity and joy.

Titled "Sail into 2026," the gala was staged in Lyuliang City, north China's Shanxi Province, and featured over 60 meticulously crafted performances. From vibrant song and dance routines to performances of traditional Chinese instrumental music, opera and martial arts, the gala embraced a wide variety of artistic styles, reflecting the depth of cultural heritage and the spirit of contemporary innovation.

The show vividly captured regional transformations across China, from the innovative dynamism of the Yangtze River Delta in east China to the cultural vitality of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the northern part of the country. It also presented the energetic harmony of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster in the south, as well as heartfelt New Year wishes from China's Taiwan region.

The gala also shone a spotlight on ordinary individuals who made a difference in 2025. It also featured fresh works from a new wave of public cultural creators. Through these stories and performances, the gala offered a panoramic celebration of people nationwide joyfully embracing the New Year, together painting a hopeful picture of peace, prosperity and unity.

The gala was broadcast live at 20:00 on December 31 across CMG platforms including CCTV-1, CCTV-3, major radio frequencies, and new media outlets such as CCTV News.

CMG presents culture-rich New Year Gala to ring in 2026

CMG presents culture-rich New Year Gala to ring in 2026

Recommended Articles