Recognition for journalists who bear burden of showing world the Gaza war

A Palestinian woman reacts as others rush to look for victims in the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on 17 October 2023.

Palestinian photographer Mahmud Hams, winner of the Best Photo category at the 2024 Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Awards for war correspondents, dedicated his prize to all journalists "bravely and honestly" covering the war in Gaza. He was one of a dozen reporters honoured for their work on the conflict, which is the focus of several exhibitions at this year's event.

The prestigious annual Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards honoured dozens of reporters for their coverage of conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti and Afghanistan.

British-American journalist Clarissa Ward was head of this year's international jury – made up of 40 fellow war correspondents – who handed out prizes in seven categories.

“I was so impressed by the work that we were judging. So beautiful, bold, brave and vital… I wish we could award everyone. It made me very proud to be a journalist,” Ward said after the prize ceremony on Saturday evening.

No fewer than 10 journalists were singled out for their coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where more than 42,000 people have been killed since October last year, according to data from the Palestinian territory's health ministry.

'World is watching Gaza through our lenses'

Reporting from Gaza has fallen principally to local Palestinian reporters, who risk their lives to document the devastation in increasingly precarious situations.

"I want to tell my colleagues in Gaza that our message has been heard: the entire world is watching Gaza through our lenses," Hams said, dedicating his prize to fellow reporters in the field.


Read more on RFI English

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