This project tells the stories of Palestinians who were wounded in the recent war in Gaza, and who now receive treatment in Qatar. Their lives have been irreversibly altered. Some are shattered by the loss of entire families, others navigate the world without limbs, without sight, or without the loved ones they were separated from when they travelled for medical care. Each narrative carries the weight of a life abruptly turned upside down.
Since beginning the project, Samar has witnessed moments of profound difficulty. Certain stories left her unable to sleep, and she still finds herself in tears whenever she recalls the horrors they described. She often wonders how they continue with such memories, how they manage to sleep when their nights must be haunted by the past. Can a single embrace ease such pain? How does one rebuild a life after so much has been taken?
Amputations. Disfiguration. Brain damage. These injuries have transformed their futures in ways that cannot be undone. Among them are Mahmoud Ajjour and Ruba Abu Jibba, part of the relatively small group of severely wounded Gazans who survived a war that killed tens of thousands. They are alive—even if some are not sure they still want to be.
Samar Abu Elouf is an award-winning Palestinian photojournalist based in Gaza. Her work documents events where she lives, focusing on gender, women’s, and children’s lives, and the consequences of war, covering the events unfolding around her.
Since 2010, she has worked as a freelance photojournalist on assignment for Reuters, The New York Times, and other international outlets. She documented the 2018–2019 Great March of Return and, in May 2021, covered the 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, during which more than 230 people were killed, including several of her relatives. Abu Elouf is the 10th Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award recipient and the World Press Photo 2025 Photo of the Year winner.
