Palestinian AFP photojournalist Mahmud Hams has been awarded the distinguished Visa d’Or award for his coverage of the conflict in Gaza. The prize, one of the most prestigious in the field of world photojournalism, is supported by the Visa pour l’Image Association – Perpignan. Amid the bombings, with death ever-present and the constant fear of being targeted, Mahmud Hams, aged 44, relentlessly continued to document the war.
Hams has worked for AFP in the occupied Palestinian territories for over two decades.
“I spent my childhood in Gaza, and in 23 years of photojournalism, I have witnessed every war, every conflict there,” Hams said. “But this war is unlike any other, without precedent from the very first day. My colleagues and I have had to face incredibly difficult conditions, with no red lines and no protections for anyone. There were even attacks targeting journalists’ offices, which are supposed to be off-limits in times of war,” he added.
Danger
“Many journalists have been killed; others wounded. I’ve also lost friends and loved ones. We struggled to keep our families safe,” he explained. “Yet, despite the ever-present danger, I continued to cover the conflict because it is my duty, the one I chose when I embraced the profession of journalism. I stayed calm, for my family, and to carry out my mission until the very last moment,” says Hams, who left Rafah with his family in February.
Hams holds a degree in journalism and information from the Islamic University of Gaza. He joined AFP in 2003 and has since covered daily news in the Gaza Strip. He has also reported from Libya and Egypt. Since leaving Gaza earlier this year, he has been working for AFP in Qatar. The IDF bans foreign journalists from covering the conflict in Gaza. “I hope the photos we take show the world that this war, and the suffering, must end,” he added.
Photo above by Mahmud Hams, AFP
