Samar Abu Elouf, State of Palestine

State of Palestine: The drama of Dareen and Kinan (for The New York Times)

They survived the bombing of residential areas in Gaza by the Israeli air force. They are two, four, five, nine, 13 or 15 years old. They have been dug out from under rubble. They are paralyzed, have lost their eyesight, arms, legs, hands, often their parents and sometimes even their entire family. Their faces show confusion, desolation, and anguish.

Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf portrayed these children in a hospital in Qatar, where they were brought to safety. Among them are Dareen, 11, and her brother Kinan, five years old, the only survivors of a family wiped out by an air strike. This picture, reminiscent of old master still life paintings, vividly shows the dignity of children even in the worst emotional distress.

Photographer: Samar Abu Elouf, State of Palestine (for The New York Times)

Samar Abu Elouf, born in 1983, taught herself photography with borrowed cameras. Initially not taken seriously by professional photographers, Abu Elouf became one of the bravest and best photojournalists in Gaza.

Since 2010, she has worked as a freelance photographer for Reuters, The New York Times, the International Committee of the Red Cross and others, receiving awards from the International Women’s Media Foundation and the British Royal Photographic Society. For the safety of her four children, she accepted an offer to live in Qatar for a while.

Credits Text: Peter-Matthias Gaede for UNICEF