CHRISTIAN ALS, DENMARK
CHILDHOOD IN RUINS
The war traumatized 6-year-old Abdel Aziz. In early 2009, Israel’s war against Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups in the Gaza strip lasted for 22 days. During the ground and air attacks, approximately 1,400 people were killed. The war left its mark on the souls of the survivors.
The images of war are also burned into Abdel’s brain. On the first day of school, one week after the ceasefire, psychologists take care of him and the other children.
A Palestinian boy is looking for his toys in what is left of his family house, where the walls are full of bullet holes. About 4,000 buildings have been completely destroyed in Gaza and more than 50,000 have lost their homes. After weeks of living in fear of the next air raid warning, the conflict region has at last calmed a bit: people can attend Friday prayers again.
© Christian Als/Berlingske Tidende
Curriculum Vitae: Christian Als
© Christian Als
About me: I am a Danish photojournalist born in the countryside outside Copenhagen. Most of my work centers on 'concerned photography' and I am constantly drawn to social, political and economic issues throughout the world. I have worked in countries like Russia, China, Tibet, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Kazakhstan, Latvia, India and Pakistan. In 2006 I graduated from the Danish School of Journalism.