Striking Gaza images take center stage at Istanbul Photo Awards fair

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Anadolu
19 Nov 2024 09:07

The event features award-winning photographs, with attending diplomats, NGO representatives, and journalists providing an emotional and thought-provoking experience.

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Two children watch the winning photo of Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, embracing the body of her five-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 17, 2023, at Istanbul Photo Awards. (@IstPhotoAwards / X)

Attendees at the Brussels exhibition commemorating the 10th anniversary of the İstanbul Photo Awards, an international news photography competition organized by Anadolu, were deeply impacted by the compelling images on display.

The event featured award-winning photographs and attracted diplomats, NGO representatives, and journalists, providing an emotional and thought-provoking experience.

Brussels-based policy analyst Johann Weick emphasized the importance of the exhibition, particularly encouraging diplomats and media professionals to connect with the narratives captured in the photographs.

10th anniversary exhibition of #İstanbulPhotoAwards is opened in #NewYork!

The exhibition will be on display at Blue Gallery between 7-12 November. You can get more detailed information from our news:https://t.co/FlkHeb0buK

Thanks to our supporters:@Turkcell @tika_english1… pic.twitter.com/37vFRSV1As
— Istanbul Photo Awards (@IstPhotoAwards) November 8, 2024

Weick highlighted entries portraying the February 6, 2023, earthquakes in Türkiye, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Israeli aggression on Gaza. Commenting on the Gaza images, including the prize-winning photograph, he remarked, “The pictures from Gaza are particularly striking.”

“We should never stop reporting from Gaza, from southern Lebanon, from the West Bank,” he stated, emphasizing the vital importance of impartial journalism in highlighting Palestinian perspectives and uncovering the Israeli continued atrocities.

'Not just photographs'

Shohina Behzoda, a contributor to Brussels-based Diplomatic World magazine, commended the exhibition for shedding light on important global events.

“There are very impactful pictures at the exhibition. It is very important to organize events like this to raise awareness about the events happening in the world,” she stated.

Behzoda emphasized that the photographs go beyond their visual form.

“They are not just photographs but works that reveal people's life stories and emotions,” she remarked, expressing how deeply moved she was by the display.

The exhibition attracted representatives from EU institutions, foreign missions, and civil society organizations, as well as a large presence of Belgian and international media professionals.

At the event, Anadolu Deputy Director General Metin Peru handed over the book Evidence, which chronicles "Israel's" ongoing actions in Gaza, to Amal Jadou, the Palestinian ambassador to Belgium, who was in attendance.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has killed 43,922 Palestinians and injured 103,898 others, the ministry confirmed Monday in its daily report.