Heidi Levine’s photographs for The National have given readers a first-hand view of the death and destruction wrought in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli offensive.
The American photojournalist here selects some of her images that she feels best express what she saw on assignment.
How did you find yourself in Gaza? Are you permanently based there or did you travel there shortly before / after the air strikes?
I am based in the region and covered the Gaza Strip for nearly 30 years. Just before the war broke out, I was on assignment in Gaza for The National focusing on feature stories; one story was about the Gazan’s love for the football World Cup. I photographed people of all ages playing football on the beach in Gaza City but even during that assignment I covered the death of a little girl who was killed either by a rocket that was fired by Hamas or by an Israeli drone that retaliated. Shortly after that assignment I entered Gaza again on July 8 and stayed for over 40 days, My intention was to stay to the end but my grandmother died so I had to leave urgently to the US.
You have a storied career having worked for AP, Sipa, Time Magazine for the better part of 25 years. When you are shooting in an atmosphere such as Gaza conflict what is driving you visually?
First of all, I feel very committed and compassionate about the story, bear in mind I’ve been covering Gaza for decades and honestly care about what is happening. The people are not strangers to me. I have never really understood how people cope when they are faced with such tragedies. I often ask myself how does anyone even want to wake up the next day after just loosing their child or even their whole family or that their home was destroyed and yet people do it and relentless motivation to survive really drives me visually to document their story.
Was there anything unique to how you covered this particular conflict (approach, planning, daily routine) that differed from previous conflicts?
I do not believe anyone thought that the war would carry on so long, so I have to admit that when I packed for a week or two at most, I was wrong. I think many of us understood from the start that it was in all of our best interest to place safety first and not be so competitive. We often drove in convoys together and I found everyone was generous about sharing information. I would wake up before 5am and my driver Ashraf would listen to the news. Listening to the news at all times was really crucial because it really was impossible to make plans in advance, everything was changing so quickly. For example, just when I would start to file my pictures, I often had to leave the computer because there was another air raid.
Did you ever feel directly threatened by air strikes? If so, how did you try to limit risk? I will not deny that covering this war was very dangerous. The drones presented another level of danger which was different than covering the revolution in Libya and because Gaza is so densely populated the chances of being injured by shrapnel was far greater. I rarely travelled at night and when we went out in the early mornings, we waited for the first light. In areas under constant heavy shelling, it was unsafe to even think try to go
During the crisis some were photojournalists were criticised for not coming away with any images of Hamas militants on the ground. Can you speak of your general access to Hamas?
To be honest, we really did not see them. I only saw one man carrying a weapon as he walked in the destruction and that was during a temporary ceasefire. I know rockets were fired on two occasions close to where I was staying but on both occasions I was out covering something else. I could feel the rockets being fired and see them in the air. I often discussed with the others whether or not we would embed with the fighters if we had a chance and most of us agreed the level of danger was simply too risky. As I mentioned, the drones presented another level of danger as well. I always felt that I was being watched by them and was aware that I could be mistaken. I barely carried long lens.
6. Do you find it challenging to make compositional interesting images when you are in a conflict zone or during episodes of terrible mourning (funerals / burials)?
I do find it challenging because at the same time I want to remain respectful to the people. It is very emotional and standing behind my lens does not protect me either emotionally to what I am witnessing. There were times, I have to admit, I stopped taking pictures and tried to comfort a hysterical wounded child or embraced a woman who had just lost a family member. I have taken images that are too shocking to be published but they are documents. If a family member stands before me holding the limb of his child in front of your camera, you cannot ignore him and not take the image because you do not want him to feel tragedy is not important.
In previous interviews you’ve spoken about how your gender helps you gain access and the trust of your subjects (especially with women). Did you have any examples of how you your gender helped your access during this crisis?
I think there is an automatic connection between women and because I am a woman I believe it helps to build trust more quickly.
As a photo editor I have access to the endless stream of images from the wires. During the crisis, I was surprised to see so many images of fatalities and severe injuries. Along with a few other photographers, you took pictures of a few children that were killed by airstrikes at the Gaza Port. As a photographer and a human being, what goes through you mind during that process? I know the first thought that enters my mind is that it is difficult to believe that what I am witnessing, what I am seeing and photographing what is really happening. It really starts to question one’s belief in humanity and ask why we have not learnt from history.
Are you still in Gaza? If not, will you return to follow up on the story? I left Gaza after 40 days of the war and just returned back for a short trip on Sept 9 to document what had happened since I left. I found by chance a family living in the rubble of their home. There is a swing set in the home yet there is no electricity. I will be returning again next week to continue to document the aftermath of the war and how the people are coping, and continue to follow the fate of the thousands who are still displaced.
Can your photography in the region affect change and if not what are your personal reasons for shooting conflict?
I hate war and that is my number one reason for photographing conflict. I want my images to shake people up and bring about change. It is frustrating because this the third war in Gaza I have covered in the past five years, but change is a slow process and at times with every small step forward, there are several steps backwards at the same time.
