A Palestinian woman in the Gaza Strip’s Al-Shati refugee camp carries a rabbit home for dinner.
Photographer: Larry Towell
Date: January 1, 1993
This photograph is part of a collection that won first prize in the World Press Photo’s 1994 Photo Contest for stories in the General News category.
Towell masterfully captured scenes in the Gaza Strip during what became the final year of the First Intifada, the first general Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupying forces.
His photographs depict moments of strength and moments of great grief. He documented resistance, both real and symbolic, and his subjects varied tremendously: children, generations of wives and husbands, and occupying soldiers. The collection is heavy, as is most of his body of work in Palestine.
Towell remains one of my favorite photographers for two reasons: his work is gritty, and he was unafraid to portray Palestinians as strong and capable at a time when many others viewed Palestinians as rogue, disorganized, and even undeserving.
Below is a short selection of photographs from the collection. Visit the World Press Photo to see the entire collection and to view other award-winning photographs.
A woman breaks stones to use against Israeli occupying soldiers in Palestine Square in Gaza City, 1993.
A Palestinian child is watched by an Israeli soldier after demonstrations by Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, 1993.
Palestinian women demand an end to the Israeli occupation, 1993.
Palestinian stone-throwing youth run from Israeli soldiers firing toward them, 1993. The Israeli military maintained a shoot-to-kill policy.
All the above photographs were taken by Larry Towell.