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![Un enfant vend des ballons dans les embouteillages du checkpoint de Qalandia reliant Ramallah à Jérusalem.]()
A child sells balloons in front of the Qalandyia checkpoint, near Ramallah. Qalandiya, December 2023
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WEST BANK : YOUTH IN THE TURMOIL OF VIOLENCE
In June 2023, after discovering the work of Palestinian psychiatrist Samah Jabr, I traveled to the West Bank to investigate the traumatic impact of the conflict on Palestinian minors.
In the West Bank, an entire generation of children lives under the shadow of fear and grief. Since October 7th, over 165 children have been killed, according to Al Jazeera, with hundreds imprisoned, making 2023 and 2024 the most violent years for children in the West Bank since the early 2000s. Facing the constant threat of Israeli army raids and settler violence, even going to school or playing outside has become a source of anxiety for many. In areas like the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams, or Balata, death becomes a grim reality, with daily raids by the Israeli army exposing children to trauma from an early age. Some of these children, in the face of such violence, even dream of joining the resistance and becoming martyrs.
The repercussions of this phenomenon extend beyond individual children, impacting the fabric of Palestinian society itself.
This series tells the stories of these minors caught in the cycle of violence stemming from the occupation and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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![Abdelrahman Alzagal, un enfant de 14 ans originaire de Jérusalem Est. Visé par la police israélienne en août dernier, le jeune homme a survécu de justesse, mais son crâne et sa jambe ont été fracassés après avoir reçu 30 impacts de balles. Il est accusé d]()
Abderahman, a 14-year-old after being shot 30 times and arrested by the Israeli police.
They accuse him of throwing molotov cocktails at settlers who took over Palestinians houses in east Jerusalem. December 2023.
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![Un jeune palestinien monte à cheval le long du mur de séparation à Jérusalem-est.]()
A kids ride a horse in East Jerusalem next to the separation wall. East Jerusalem, December 2023.
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![Dans les champs d’oliviers saturant les collines du Jebel Sabih, des enfants de Beita lancent des pierres contre des militaires israéliens. Depuis 2021, le village mènent une lutte hebdomadaire contre l’installation d’un avant-poste nommé Evyatar et l’occ]()
Children from Beita throw stones in the direction of an illegal outpost in Beita, June 2023.
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![Fadil (le nom a été modifié), 15 ans, dans son salon où il a été arrêté en pleine nuit par l'armée israélienne. Des psychologue ont entamé un suivi pour l'aider lui et sa famille à surmonter cet évènement.]()
Fadil, 15 years old, sits in his living room where he was arrested at night by the Israeli army.
Psychologists have begun providing support to help him and his family overcome this traumatic event. June 2023.
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![Le camp de réfugiés de Jénine, bastion de la résistance armée palestinienne. Dans cet agglomérat de béton se serrent sur un demi-kilomètre carré 14 000 descendant·es de réfugié·es de la Nakba. Les groupes armés, puissants dans ces ruelles, se cachent, m]()
In the Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of the Palestinian armed struggle, bullet holes bear witness to regular fighting with the Israeli army.
In the region of Jenin, more that 50 children were killed between 2023 and 2024 according to Defense for Children International. November 2023.
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![Un enfant rend un dernier adieu à un membre de sa famille, un combattant, tué par l'armée israélienne dans un raid la veille.]()
The Jenin's refugee camp - is drowning in mourning.
At the mortuary, the now-familiar ritual of visiting is done in silence, without tears. Jenin refugee camp, November 2023
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![Après un raid de l'armée israélienne dans le camp de réfugié de Nur shams, les enfants se rassemblent autour des combattants qu'ils voient comme des héros.]()
After an Israeli army raid in the Nour Shams refugee camp, children gather around the fighters, whom they see as heroes. Nour Shams Refugee Camp, October 2023.
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![Haitham Tamimi se recueille sur la tombe encore fraiche de son fils Mohammed, deux ans, tué par l’armée israélienne dans le village de Nabi Saleh en juin 2023.]()
Haitham Tamimi pays his respects at the fresh grave of his son Mohammed, aged 2, killed by the Israeli army. Nabi Saleh, June 2023.
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![Un enfant se tient devant une école, dans les décombres du centre de jeunesse du camp de Nour Shams détruit par l'armée israélienne.]()
A child stands in front of a school amidst the rubble of the youth center in the Nour Shams camp, destroyed by the Israeli army.Nour Shams, October 2023.
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![Des jeunes filles du camp de réfugiés de Jénine rentrent de l'école alors que les entrées du camp ont été bloquées pour ralentir l'armée isréalienne. Depuis le début de la guerre, le camp est le théâtre d'incursions quotidiennes de l'armée israélienne à l]()
At the entrance to the Jenin camp, girls emerge from school, slaloming between mountains of rubble.
Few places have been spared by the Israeli army bulldozers that storm the camp daily. Jenin refugee camp, November 2023
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![Mazen (le nom a été changé), jeune de 17 ans du camp de réfugiés de Balata. Il s'est engagé dans la Katiba Balata après avoir perdu deux de ses meilleurs amis tués par l'armée israélienne.]()
Mazen, a 17-year-old from the Balata refugee camp. He joined the Balata Katiba after losing two of his best friends to the Israeli army. June 2023
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The Martyrs' Cemetery in the Jenin refugee camp, built in 2019, is already full.
Since the beginning of the conflict, over 165 children have been killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank, with more than thirty of them in Jenin alone.
Jenin Refugee Camp, November 2023.
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Moa’ad, 8 years old, can't sit still. His jaw clenched, he runs around, shouting, then jumps onto the bed still covered in broken glass.
The previous day, all the windows of the family's former apartment were blown out during a drone strike at the base of the building. Jenin refugee camp, February 2024.
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![Every week, children from the Jenin refugee camp are looked after by the team at the women's center. They draw, express themselves, sing and dance, and receive help with their psychological and academic problems. Most of the children are traumatized by th]()
Every week, children from the Jenin refugee camp are looked after by the team at the women's center.
Most of the children are traumatized by the attacks on the camp. Jenin refugee camp, February 2024.
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![Murad, 9 ans, et sa sœur Ra’af, 6 ans, jouent dans leur chambre. Soulevant les rideaux, les deux jeunes enfants montrent ce que les soldats israéliens ont tagué – la date du 7 octobre – lorsqu’ils ont occupé l’appartement en décembre dernier lors d’un rai]()
Murad, aged 9, and his sister Ra'af, aged 6, play in their bedroom. The two young children show what Israeli soldiers tagged - the date October 7
when they occupied the apartment last December. Jenin refugee camp, February 2024
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![Des familles regagnent leurs maisons du camp de réfugiés de Jénine après avoir fuit les combats qui ont fait rage pendant plus de 24h entre l’armée israélienne et les groupes armés du camp.]()
Families return to their homes in the Jenin refugee camp after fleeing fighting between the Israeli army and armed groups in the camp. November 2023.
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![Des combattants du camp de réfugiés de Jénine accompagnent la procession des corps de leurs proches tués dans les combats avec l'armée israléienne.]()
Fighters from the Jenin refugee camp accompany the procession of the bodies of their relatives killed in fighting with the Israeli army. November 2023.
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![Un adolescent de 16 ans montre me portrait de Fares Hashash, 20 et tué par l'armée israélienne en juin dans le camp de réfugié de Balata.]()
A 16-year-old boy shows a portrait of his cousin, Fares Hashash, 20, who was killed by the Israeli army in June in the Balata refugee camp.
Balata Refugee Camp, June 2023.
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![Un adolescent regarde le couché de soleil sur les hauteurs de Naplouse. Humiliations, arrestations ou agression de colons, l’occupation se pare d’une violence croissante à laquelle chaque enfant est confronté. Des traumatismes qui marquent des enfants e]()
A child watching at the sunset over Nablus, June 2023
