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Mohammed Al Zaanoun

Mohammed Alzanoon

Safe Haven Fellow

Project title

Our Hearts Are Still In Gaza - Documenting The Unseen Impact Of War

Research question

How does prolonged and repeated exposure to trauma affect the well-being of children and families, and how can artistic methods and storytelling be used as part of a family’s healing process?

Project description

Nothing in his two decades of work as a photojournalist in Gaza prepared Mohamed Zaanoun for the things he witnessed during the current war. Now, for the first time in his career, he turns the camera lens on himself and his own family to tell their recent experiences and journey of survival out of the war-torn Gaza Strip.

In this documentary project Zaanoun delves into the aspects of war that are less covered in the midst of the unravelling violence and death, focusing on his experiences as a photojournalist torn between his work and the struggle to get his family to safety. Throughout the war, Zaanoun documented his four children as they were trying to make sense and cope with the horrors around them.

Zaanoun tells the account of war and its trauma at first hand, focusing on the experience of his own children and the dynamics of his family as they cope together, searching for the way to find safety and hope.

Mohammed Al Zaanoun is an award winning photojournalist and member of the Activestills collective who has been documenting life and death in Gaza for the past twenty years. Originally from Gaza City, he and his family were displaced and are currently in exile.

Selected publications