Abdelrahman Alkahlout (Palestina/Turkey)
Gaza: Trapped in Genocide, Fighting to Exist
The story begins as Israeli airstrikes tear through residential neighborhoods, turning moments of daily life into a nightmare of destruction. As bombs rain down, families rush through the flames and smoke, carrying their children and searching for an escape amid the rubble. The streets fill with screams and sirens, a chaotic symphony of survival.
On the roads, survivors race against time, desperately trying to save those still breathing. Some flee on foot, while others squeeze into ambulances and trucks, their cries blending with the roar of engines. The ambulances reach overcrowded hospitals, where bodies line the floors, and exhausted doctors fight with limited supplies to save as many lives as they can.
Inside these hospitals, the war’s most harrowing tragedies unfold. Mothers cradle their lifeless children, fathers search among the wounded for their missing sons and daughters, while surviving children stare blankly, their eyes telling stories words cannot capture. The scene is overwhelming: a severe shortage of medical supplies, hospital beds overflowing with the injured, and an inability to provide adequate care under an unrelenting siege.
As the bombings persist, no place remains safe. Thousands of families are forced to flee, leaving behind the ruins of their homes, carrying whatever they can salvage, and marching toward an uncertain future. Displacement becomes a new reality, with endless rows of tents forming makeshift cities that lack even the most basic necessities. In the cold and under the rain, children huddle around small fires, trying to warm their hands, while mothers wait in long lines for scarce water and food.
The genocide has left its mark not only on the shattered buildings but also on the faces of children who no longer smile, on eyes accustomed to witnessing death, and on generations that have never known normal life. Amid this devastation, Palestinians remain unyielding, clinging to life despite every attempt to erase them.
Palestinian photojournalist and visual storyteller from Gaza, based in Istanbul. Specialized in long-form narratives documenting civilians under siege and genocide. He covered Gaza wars (2014–2025), the Türkiye–Syria earthquake, and has been injured multiple times while reporting. His work focuses on dignity, displacement, and faith. Winner of TIFA & IPA Photographer of the Year (2025), LensCulture Critics’ Choice, POY82 Award of Excellence, FAPA 1st Place, and more. Exhibited in Paris, London, Vienna, Budapest, Rotterdam, Athens, and Siena.
