“I am Ali Jadallah, a photographer known for capturing the beauty of Gaza—a place I’ve always loved to show through my lens. Gaza, with its Mediterranean coast where people fish and gather by the shore, finding a moment’s peace from their hardships. Gaza, where every holiday is cherished, whether Muslim or Christian, whether the New Year or a family gathering. This is a place that seeks joy even amid sorrow. But the past year has changed everything. This project strives to convey the profound insecurity that has gripped every resident of Gaza since October 7, 2023, and which continues to this day.
At the onset of the war, I believed I could feel the pain of the people I documented. But I had no idea of the depths of their suffering until I experienced it myself. I lost my apartment in a direct strike, though my wife and children were not there at the time, which is a relief for me. I thought that was my hardest moment. Then, just two days later, I received a call telling me that my family home had been hit by Israeli warplanes.
My father, sister, three brothers, and my cousins were all killed in the attack. My mother was found, badly injured, buried beneath the rubble. For three days, I pulled my family’s bodies from the wreckage. I never found my sister Doa’a; they told me her body likely disintegrated from the force of the blast.
Among the rubble, though, I found my mother alive. I kissed her hand—a moment that brought me back to life. There is nothing like feeling a living hand beneath the ruins. That moment became the inspiration for this project. Now, as I document Gaza’s devastation, I search for moments that hold the same spark of life. I know what it means to reach for a hand amid loss. It’s the feeling of finding life surrounded by death.
In my work, the grief is ever-present. Every day, I relive my pain. Whenever a body is pulled from the rubble, I see my family’s faces. I know the helplessness of facing death and, through this project, I want the world to know it too. This is Gaza’s story—a story of love, loss, and resilience. Though, nobody deserves to live such a life and to endure the helplessness of securing the beloved ones under non-stop attacks.” - Ali Jadallah.
A woman holding a girl reacts after Israeli airstrikes hit the Ridwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza, Palestine, on 23 October 2023.
Injured Palestinian child receives medical treatment at Aksa Hospital in Deir al Balah after an Israeli attack on Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in Gaza, Palestine, on 1 January 2024. Casualties and injuries were reported after the attack.
A Palestinian civil defence officer injured in Israeli attacks is given CPR on a stretcher at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza Strip, Gaza, Palestine, on 16 October 2023.
10 Palestinians stand on a road as black smoke and flames rise over a building following the Israeli attacks in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Palestine, on 6 June 2024.
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Ali Jadallah is a Palestinian photojournalist. During his young career, he has covered three Israeli wars in Gaza with a commitment to truth-telling, providing documentation of the region's struggles.
For the 28th edition of the Joop Swart Masterclass, we brought together 12 emerging photographers from around the world to develop a project, and develop the tools to make a viable career in photography.
Launched in 1994, the Joop Swart Masterclass is World Press Photo’s best-known educational program for emerging photographers, encouraging new and diverse approaches to photojournalism, documentary photography and visual storytelling. After a three-year hiatus, the Joop Swart Masterclass returns this year, with a focus on the MENA region, thanks to funding from the Porticus Foundation.
Credit: Ali Jadallah
See more work by the 2024 Joop Swart Masterclass participants here
