Palestine-Israel

PHOTOS: Momin Faiz documents genocide in north Gaza

Images from north Gaza, the area hit hardest by Israel's genocidal campaign.

Momin Faiz, Georgia Howell

— 5 min read
PHOTOS: Momin Faiz documents genocide in north Gaza
Momin Faiz and a colleague take photographs of the aftermath of a bombing from the night before in north Gaza. Credit: Momin Faiz.

“This is not just my job. This is my duty as a Palestinian.”

In his 20 years as a photojournalist in Gaza, Momin Faiz has documented countless Israeli attacks on his home. Like many Palestinian journalists, he has been targeted, and lost both legs in an Israeli strike on Gaza City in 2008. He continues to capture the destruction of his homeland from his wheelchair as one of the only remaining journalists working in the north of Gaza, the area hit hardest by Israel’s aerial and ground offensive. 

On Sunday night, Momin posted live footage on his Instagram story as Israel burned people alive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Faiz is originally from Gaza City but like many other Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, he has been forcibly displaced. In June, the Israeli military burned down his family’s house, along with 85% of the other residential buildings in his neighbourhood of Shujaiya. 

Working independently, Faiz sells his photos to agencies, and broadcasters like Al-Jazeera. He also shares photos and videos of people injured and killed by Israel and their mourning families with his nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram. Instagram has taken on a disturbing importance during the genocide, often serving as the only way to share news of the latest horror. Well-intentioned people around the world share fundraising links and photos on their Instagram stories, and exchange messages with Palestinians in Gaza facing extermination. The sickening stream of content has led many to describe Israel’s assault on Gaza as “the world’s first livestreamed genocide.”

It is in this online terrain that Faiz met Georgia Howell, a London-based journalist. Through WhatsApp calls and direct messages, Faiz shared details of his life and career with Howell, along with a collection of photos that he has taken throughout the genocide. Momin and Georgia have shared these photos with Vashti, published in the photo essay below. 

To bear witness is a small act when measured against the brutality of genocide. In fact, it is not an act at all; not when our government is sending the planes that drop the bombs. One of these bombs killed Momin Faiz’s longtime friend and colleague, Al-Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul, along with his friend and cameraman, Rami Al-Rifi. Momin Faiz says that he hopes the international press appreciates the risks he and other Palestinian journalists are taking to show the world the truth about the genocide in Gaza. But seeing the truth is the very least we can do. The question remains, of all of us outside of Gaza: What are we doing after we click through the carnage? Whatever your answer, so long as the genocide continues, it is not enough. Not nearly enough. ▼

Momin is pictured signing a large white wall covered in other signatures and writing. The wall has a mural of Shireen Abu Akleh and says "Justice for Shireen". Momin is wearing a scarf with the Palestinian flag on it and he is in a wheelchair.
Credit: Momin Faiz

10 January 2023 - Israel has a long history of targeting Palestinian journalists to silence those committed to exposing the truth of occupation. Here, Faiz signs a memorial wall for his colleague, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whom Israel murdered in 2022. The current war on Gaza marks the deadliest period for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began collecting data in 1992.

Momin is holding a crate of strawberries. He smiles at the camera. Behind him is the strawberry field.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

11 February 2023 - Faiz seeks to tell the story of Gaza through photography. He is pictured here holding fresh strawberries, collected from a fruit farm near his home in Gaza City. 

Momin Faiz sits in his wheelchair at a small, wooden table. He is typing on his laptop. The table is under a tree in a garden.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

9 March 2023 - Before the current genocide, Momin worked as a photojournalist in Gaza City, documenting daily life under Israeli occupation. Here, he is pictured working from the garden of his home in Shujaiya, now destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.

A man wearing a gas mask and a hood with a camera on top looks into the camera. He is in a press vest. Behind him, a landscape is out of focus.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

27 September 2023 - Palestinian journalists are often forced to wear military grade safety equipment when reporting, as they prepare for targeted attacks. This photo, taken before October 7th, shows how journalism has always been a dangerous profession in Gaza. 

Two men pose for a photo together. On the left - Hatem Moussa. On the right - Momin Faiz. Both are wearing press vests. Behind them, is a press car.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

20 October 2023 - Faiz pictured with his colleague, Associated Press photographer, Hatem Moussa. Moussa was severely injured early in the genocide and had his foot amputated as a result.

An elderly man, covered in dust looks into the camera. His eyes are bloodshot and filled with tears. He has blood on his face and in his mouth.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

5 November 2023 - Pictured is a friend of Momin’s who was injured during Israel’s Abu Hasira street massacre, which targeted multiple elderly Palestinians and their families.

Momin sits in a patterned arm chair and looks at the camera. Behind him, his wheelchair is empty in front of a bombed building.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

31 December 2023 - Faiz sits in an armchair beside the rubble of what was once his home in Gaza City. His wheelchair sits a few steps away.

A heavily damaged vehicle sits amongst rubble in the street. The vehicle has red letters on it, indicating that it is a press van.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

3 January 2024 - Journalists’ vans, carrying essential reporting equipment, are regularly bombed by Israel as it carries out targeted violence against the Palestinian press.

A white van with the words "TV PRESS" is pictured, heavily damaged. There are bullet holes on the side and the front is smashed.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

3 January 2024  - A clearly-marked satellite broadcasting van, riddled with bullet holes.

A small boy in a green shirt looks out at a destroyed neighbourhood. A tower has collapsed into the side of a building. There is rubble along the street where he stands.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

19 July 2024 - A boy looks out at the destroyed buildings in what was once the neighbourhood where he lived.

Seventeen men stand in a line, facing the camera and holding a piece of paper with the photos of their colleagues, Ismail and Rami, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

1 August 2024 - Faiz attends a press conference with colleagues denouncing Israel’s assassination of fellow journalists Ismail Al-Ghoul and Rami Al-Rifi in a targeted airstrike on 31 July.

Momin Faiz is pictured in a press vest in his wheelchair on the rooftop of a building. He is looking out at the skyline of building. The sun is setting and smoke from an airstrike is rising in the distance.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

11 August 2024 - Momin Faiz looks out at the skyline of Gaza; clouds from airstrike explosions can be seen in the distance.

Momin adjusts his equipment with two cameramen behind him. In front of him are three other men, two are standing and one is sitting in a chair.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

25 August 2024 - Each morning, Momin and his colleagues report on the attacks that occurred throughout the previous night.

Momin Faiz is in the centre of the photo, taking a photo from his wheelchair. His colleague is pushing him. Both men are wearing press vests and are looking out at the rubble of a destroyed building.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

25 August 2024 - Momin Faiz and a colleague take photographs of the aftermath of a bombing from the night before in north Gaza.

A young girl looks over her father's shoulder. He is carrying her. She has blood all over her face and is staring directly at the camera.
Credit: Momin Faiz.

19 September 2024 - A father carries his young daughter on his shoulder for treatment, after she was injured in an explosion.

Momin Faiz is Palestinian photographer from Gaza City, covering the genocide from the north of Gaza. Follow him on Instagram.

Georgia Howell is a London-based freelance journalist focusing on social justice reporting, international affairs and creative writing.

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