Mustafa Hassouna and the photographers of the protest

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We present the 3 most representative photographers of the latest clashes in Palestine: Mustafa Hassouna, Mahmud Hams and Mohammed Salem.

Mustafa Hassouna

It is his photo that most of all is bringing the never-ending Palestinian discourse back to the top. A’ed Abu Amro embodies the purest and cleanest face of freedom, in the history of iconography we have hardly seen a message as simple as it is violent.

Mustafa Hassouna
A’ed Abu Amro portrayed by Mustafa Hassouna for Anadolu Agency

The message of the photo also has another message, not so veiled, and is to be found in Amro’s weapon: a sling. More than the new freedom, the shot represents a definitive change of forces: the biblical David, once Jewish, has become Palestinian. The shot, which went viral in a few days, made the fortune of the photojournalist Mustafa Hassouna who has been documenting the fate of the Palestinians from Gaza for years.

Mahmud Hams

The photojournalist Mahmud Hams may perhaps be the one who most of all documented the latest clashes, giving us shots that can only make us shiver. Despair and anger blend together in the protests that ignited last summer. It can be seen in Saber al-Ashkar’s face, willing to scream his anger even in the wheelchair.

Mustafa Hassouna
29-year-old Saber al-Ashkar during the protests in Gaza portrayed by Mahmud Hams for AFP, 11 May 2018

The boy asked his friends to accompany him by car so as not to miss the protests, he would not have had the courage to stay at home. Mahmud Hams has the merit of having also portrayed the real clashes, the photo below in particular also shows chromatically the contrasts that the conflict brings.

Mustafa Hassouna
Mahmud Hams for AFP, May 4, 2018

Mahmud Hams is a Gaza-based photojournalist documenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on behalf of the AFP agency, on 13 October he won the 25th Bayeux-Calvados War Correspondents Prize for his portrait in Saber al-Ashkar.

Mohammed Salem

Last but not least. Mohammed Salem is a Palestinian photographer based in Gaza who already in 2004 won the China International Press Photo Contest and in 2010 won the second prize in the Spot News category at the World Press Photo Contest. Since 2003 he collaborates with Reuters.

Mustafa Hasssouna
A Palestinian boy portrayed by Mohammed Salem for Reuters during the latest protests in Gaza

Mohammed Salem got noticed thanks to a very specific style that involves a full enhancement of contrasts, especially those originating from fire. In fact, his are some of the most popular nighttime series on Gaza on the net. The photographer was also injured in recent conflicts but fortunately not seriously.

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Idriss Ela, Sahrawi photographer

Mahmud Hams website

Mohammed Salem website

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