“They Fear Our Lenses”: Gaza Photojournalists Speak Out

Ibrahim Nofal s photograph of his mother Muneera receiving healing on June after being hit by shrapnel from an Israeli attack She died shortly after Photo Ibrahim Nofal Israel killed six journalists with an airstrike on a press tent in Gaza City last month Among the dead in the August attack were Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and his colleague photojournalist Mohammad Nofal In the days leading up to the killing I had been speaking with Mohamed s brother and fellow photojournalist Ibrahim Nofal about what it s like to be a photojournalist in Gaza in current times to witness horror and massacres This is the only thing I know how to do he disclosed Every person here has a role in this war Mine is to document If I don t photograph it this moment will never exist His job may be the bulk dangerous in the world Israel killed five more journalists on August in a double-tap missile strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis that appeared to be designed to kill the rescue workers and journalists who responded to the initial strike The day after Israel killed his brother I petitioned Ibrahim what he misses the greater part He instantly responded My mother and my brothers Omar and Mohammad who were killed in this genocide I had a life in Turkey when I was traveling I had plans But none of it matters now Only my mother and brothers do I and my own brother Ali Skaik spoke with Ibrahim and five other photojournalists in Gaza about their daily lives and what the deadly task of documenting the genocide means to them We also petitioned them to share one photo that is close to their hearts I fear that any of them may join the ranks of the other journalists that Israel has killed in Gaza in the past two years I fear that I and my brother could be killed any day too as the Israeli military advances closer to our home Ibrahim Nofal Photo Courtesy of Ibrahim Nofal Ibrahim is still working despite the risks He s come close to death before Once a gas canister exploded beside me I thought it was the end Another time a house we were documenting was hit and everyone around me was injured he declared His home was bombed on October and five of his cameras were destroyed His photos have not only traveled far they have changed lives Several of those he photographed were able to leave Gaza for anatomical rehabilitation because the world saw their suffering He keeps documenting The camera is my weapon he revealed It respects me because I respect it Through it I make the world see Gaza and its people Documenting the genocide is not a choice it is a responsibility carried out with a sense of duty and love for our homeland and people In Gaza every image carries a cost and every photographer bears both the burden of memory and the duty of witness Realities That Cannot Be Hidden Behind Propaganda Yazan Abu Foul a -year-old resident of Al-Shati refugee camp suffering from severe malnutrition amid widespread famine in the Gaza Strip on July Photo Abdul Hakim Abu Riash Abdul Hakim Abu Riash captured a searing photograph of starvation in Gaza the image of -year-old Yazan Abu Foul in the Al-Shati refugee camp suffering from severe malnutrition He commented he was not surprised when American media outlets biased in favor of Israel tried to deny or discredit his work and the work of his fellow Palestinian journalists Abu Riash in his press gear Photo Courtesy of Abdul Hakim Abu Riash The reality however is far harsher than what has been published Abu Riash reported During the the greater part modern closure of the crossings I myself lost kilograms my weight dropped from to nearly kilograms or from to pounds Food remains scarce with prices times higher than before the Israeli restriction of food If this is my condition as an adult one can only imagine the plight of children especially those with chronic illnesses who rely on specific nutritional demands he stated Their suffering is far greater and under this blockade and the denial of food entry their situation is only worsening leading already to the deaths of dozens of children I jeopardy my life and everything I own to share realities that cannot be hidden behind propaganda he commented We ve had to learn new lessons on how to adapt in the field to keep working under almost impossible conditions and to find procedures of ensuring our message still reaches the world C He traces his love for photography back to his boyhood in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip His first mobile phone with a camera bought in felt like a miracle he commented He was capturing photos of nature in Beit Lahia sunsets and daily life scenes By after the first war on Gaza he turned his passion into journalism determined to document the truth Related A Newspaper Called His Gaza Photos Hamas Propaganda He s Fighting Back For Abu Riash images touch emotions before they reach the mind A photograph speaks to everyone even the blind can feel its weight through silence It s the world s only common language he explained One particular image left a mark on Abu Riash a photograph of a young girl embracing the bodies of her family members killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Deir al-Balah The shock was etched on her face her grief uncontainable Every photo I take is a witness for history I want the world to see the truth the suffering of my people and their resilience Nothing less he mentioned The Truth Is Our Weapon Men gather around the body of slain photojournalist Anas Al-Sharif at his funeral on Aug following an Israeli attack on the press tent in Gaza City Photo Ayman al-Hessi For Ayman Majed al-Hessi photojournalism was imposed on him He studied electronics engineering and Islamic sciences before life pushed him into the media Since he has worked with Al Jazeera Mubasher and captured beauty and wars drawn by the belief that images have more power than words When I photograph I m not documenting strangers I m documenting my people my father my mother my siblings and my neighbors he stated He has lived through multiple wars but the current one has been different He has been injured three times since October the first during the early days of the war while covering Al-Shati refugee camp I moved from being a reporter to a photojournalist overnight al-Hessi recalled but also to a survivor Ayman al-Hessi Photo Courtesy of Ayman al-Hessi His cameras and equipment were destroyed when his family home was bombed With no tools he resorted to a cheap Xiaomi phone yet even from that device he broadcast various of the preponderance haunting images of Gaza s devastation One of al-Hessi s widely circulated images is the targeting of journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul After photographing a massacre the images linger in al-Hessi s mind preventing restful sleep The Israeli occupation tries to silence us They accuse us of using artificial intelligence when we show famine al-Hessi added they close our social media accounts and keep threatening us But our responsibility is to show the world what is happening The truth is our weapon Images are stronger than texts al-Hessi declared If I describe a flower you ll imagine one thing But if I show it the truth is undeniable The occupation knows this That s why they fear our lenses There are numerous images that have stayed with al-Hessi but the harshest of all was the moment his brother Akram was killed I was filming the aftermath of an airstrike on the Shati refugee camp People around me were shouting his name Akram Akram When I reached the site I uncovered my brother Akram lying lifeless and my father clutching his body screaming in anguish remembered al-Hessi Related The Israeli Plot to Extinguish the Journalists Documenting Genocide The weight of loss bleeds into his words He has lost his brother his uncle and close friends I miss everything he admitted Our homes our places the people we lost Yet still he photographs because if he doesn t no one will know Every photo is not just for history he noted It s for my family my neighbors my people Before I Looked for Beauty and Daily Life Two little friends walk hand in hand through the rubble of Suhail Nassar s Gaza neighborhood Tel al-Hawa on March Photo Suhail Nassar Suhail Nassar is a photojournalist who used to capture Gaza s hidden beauty the laughter of children sunsets over the Mediterranean fleeting moments of elation Photography began as a hobby for him until he became a photojournalist to show the world how the people of Gaza live Suhail Nassar Photo Courtesy of Suhail Nassar Since October his lens has shifted Before I looked for beauty and daily life Now everything I shoot is death hunger and ruins Nassar declared Direct bombardment lack of supplies and the absence of safety anywhere are great risks for photojournalists in Gaza Yet the worst exposure for them is becoming a target only because of carrying their cameras There is no true protection here you try to pick safe angles move briskly and keep your eyes on all directions You don t really deal with the trauma Nassar explained You carry it with you The pictures stay in your head stronger than any archive But he feels compelled to document reality as it is If we do not document no one will know what happens to us Silence erases us I photograph so that no one can ever say We didn t know Nassar noted Read our complete coverage Israel s War on Gaza These Moments Break You Mohammed Hijazi sits in his home in Jabalia refugee camp on April Photo Anas Fteiha Anas Fteiha is a photojournalist from Gaza who works for the Turkish Anadolu Agency Fteiha never imagined that his profession would demand such sacrifice He moves constantly between hospitals bomb sites and displacement camps Related Israel Leveled Gaza Then Killed the Drone Journalists Who Exhibited it to the World He recalls one haunting moment a little girl who had lost both her arms When another explosion thundered nearby her instinct was to cover her ears only to realize she no longer could These moments break you he admitted But they also remind you why you must keep going Anas Fteiha Photo Courtesy of Anas Fteiha A photo invades your consciousness before you even ask People may forget articles they read but they will never forget an image Fteiha declared He is in the present suing global publishing giant Axel Springer for an article in their German tabloid BILD that accused him of being a Hamas propagandist Axel Springer also owns U S publications Politico and Business Insider The greatest challenges are the lack of safety frequent electricity and internet outages and the difficulty of reaching event sites amid continuous bombardment I try to separate work from emotions but it is extremely arduous Sometimes after shooting I feel an internal collapse I console myself with the thought that what I do has value and meaning and that my pain cannot be compared to the suffering of those I document recounted Fteiha There are no neutral zones in Gaza every area is dangerous The greatest danger is being directly targeted Multiple colleagues have been injured or killed while covering events Fteiha revealed He doesn t want the world to see Palestinians as just a political issue but as fathers mothers and children who deserve dignity Related Americans Rarely See the True Face of Israel s Bombing of Gaza He described his mission as more than work it is duty Every image I capture might become a voice for the voiceless and could help convey the suffering of people who would otherwise remain invisible or ignored he declared If we stop documenting who will show the world what s happening here in Gaza Louder Than Words A dead child in Gaza s Al-Shati refugee camp on June killed by Israeli fire while playing in the summer heat Photo Motasem Abu Aser Motasem Abu Aser is a documentary filmmaker and short story creator Photography began as an obsession for him From childhood he felt drawn to the camera His heart invariably belonged to visual storytelling After surviving a near-fatal head injury while covering the Great March of Return in he refused to stop People thought I would quit journalism after that but the fear was erased Nothing could scare me anymore he asserts Motasem Abu Aser Photo Courtesy of Motasem Abu Aser His work on The Night Won t End an Al Jazeera documentary that included the story of -year-old Hind Rajab trapped under bombardment became one of his the majority powerful works When you film in the moment you capture history as it burns That is why our work has meaning he highlights Since October his days have blurred into endless hours of work He rarely sleeps sometimes only half an hour at a time he feels as if he works hours a day As a filmmaker I don t just hold a camera I carry images in my mind constantly Sleep is fleeting even with eyes closed my mind remains alert he recounts At the Anan family massacre near Saraya Street in December Abu Aser was the first to document the atrocity Soldiers lined women and girls on a billiard table bound them and shot at them randomly Men were trapped under stairs and exposed to explosives killed slowly Images consistently speak louder than words Often a photo alone suffices a caption may not even be needed stated Abu Aser The post They Fear Our Lenses Gaza Photojournalists Speak Out appeared first on The Intercept