photo essay mediterranean

‘A moment in history’: making a perilous sea-crossing with refugees – photo essay

Ahead of a UK exhibition of her photo series Journey in the Death Boat, Güliz Vural describes travelling with Syrians being smuggled to Greece from Turkey

S tanding on a Turkish beach ready to join a group of Syrian refugees on an inflatable boat bound for Greece , the photojournalist Güliz Vural’s biggest fear was that the people traffickers organising the illegal crossing would not let her onboard.

If she had known that within a few hours of leaving Turkey she would be under arrest, accused of people trafficking herself, she would have thought twice about the journey.

On that bright October morning the smugglers intimidated and humiliated the refugees who had gathered on the shore. “They were dangerous people, and rude,” Vural, 41, says through an interpreter.

But they agreed that she could accompany the migrants and eventually they set off, nearly 50 people crammed on to a boat designed for 12, their fluorescent lifejackets a patchwork of colours against the clear sky. Soon they were in the cobalt blue water of the Aegean Sea, leaving Turkey’s Sivrice Bay behind, and heading for the Greek island of Lesbos.

The families held on to each other tightly. Some rubbed and kissed prayer beads, before ritualistically tossing them overboard.

They passed the 90-minute journey mostly in silence, except for occasionally throwing their hands into the air to pray. “ Ya Allah! ” they would cry out. “Oh God!”

The migrants carry the inflatable boat they will travel in down to the beach. They had to leave all their possessions as they crammed themselves in. Nearly 50 Syrians made the crossing in a boat designed to carry 12 people, adding to the anxiety felt by the children in particular.

Wearing a wetsuit and perched at the bow, not daring to move for fear of destabilising the boat, Vural spent the journey training her camera lens on the anxious faces of her fellow passengers. “I took photos non-stop. I wanted to document [their experience]. This was a moment in history.”

After the outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2011, Vural spent three years documenting the lives of refugees who had fled the violence and destruction of their homeland. She met families living in temporary accommodation in Istanbul and travelled to the border town of Reyhanlı in the southern province of Hatay, near the Syrian border.

The grief and pain she saw in the people she met resonated with her. “My Kurdish family were forced from south-east Turkey in 1977. Even though I was born in Istanbul and wasn’t a refugee, I felt a lack of belonging. We lost our culture; it felt like our Kurdish history had been deleted. When I saw how traumatic the Syrian refugees’ lives were, it reminded me of my own family’s trauma, and it really affected me.”

Some of the refugees she encountered were happy to stay in Turkey, but others had dreams of making it to Europe . Stories of perilous sea crossings between Turkey and Greece began to emerge as waves of refugees risked their lives to start anew in the west. In total, more than a million migrants and refugees entered Europe in 2015, the vast majority via sea from Turkey. The tragic image of two-year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish beach after drowning on a sea crossing came to symbolise the desperate plight of people who dared to believe in a better future.

Vural sat in the bow so she could take photographs of the migrants, hardly daring to move in case she upset the boat. More than 800 people died in just one year on the Turkey-Greece route that she documented.

According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 3,700 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015 – more than 800 of them on the Turkey-Greece route that Vural documented. Since 2014, more than 22,000 migrants have been recorded as missing in the Mediterranean.

It was the biggest migration crisis in memory and Vural felt she had to record it in some way. “I saw many journalists [reporting] events from the shore. I wanted to be on the boat with [the refugees].”

In October 2015 she travelled to the Aegean coast, just south of Çanakkale, a known departure point for illegal crossings “My husband is a journalist and he understood why I had to go, but I didn’t tell my parents or my daughter. I didn’t want them to worry,” she says.

The photojournalist Güliz Vural, centre left, crossed with the refugees from Sivrice Bay, Turkey, to the Greek island of Lesbos. Right, Vural being detained as a suspected people smuggler when the boat landed in Greece.

The hazardous journey is expensive: the migrants Vural joined paid about £2,000 for each person. They were understandably anxious about the journey but Vural saw their courage too. They had to abandon their belongings when the smugglers ordered them to make space for everyone and squeeze in. They were also bidding farewell to their families and to the lives left behind. “They brought only the future with them,” says Vural.

After arriving in Greece, the migrants were sent to a refugee camp for processing. But Vural was arrested by the Greek coastguard as a suspected people-smuggler.

“For the first time in my life I was handcuffed, then I was taken to the judge, who said I would be tried for two serious crimes: human trafficking and entering the country illegally. They said I faced a jail term of 25 years.”

She was shocked and scared but, she says, “I tried not to be regretful.”

After calls to the Turkish embassy, letters from her newspaper and a €3,000 (£2,600) warranty, the authorities accepted that she was a journalist and released her five days later. But her confiscated phone was never returned to her so she was unable to contact the refugees whose number she had taken.

But Vural had the photographs. She named the series Journey in the Death Boat but the Turkish media, which had splashed her photo on the front pages when she was arrested, showed no interest in the story of the refugees’ journey. Though she was never given a reason, Vural believes this is because the project criticises Turkey for allowing people smugglers to operate.

‘He spent the whole journey desperate and sad,’ Vural said of this nine-year-old boy. Relief and jubilation as the boat lands in Greece.

Next week the project will go on display for the first time in the UK in an exhibition at Coventry Cathedral on the 10-12 November as part of the sixth Rising Global Peace Forum . The series is a tribute to her determination, and to the refugees who risked everything for a better life. Today, she thinks about the migrants often, wondering how many made it to their dream destination: Germany.

Vural is now a migrant herself. In April she moved to the UK to set up her photography business, dismayed by the political climate in Turkey, where “opposition journalists no longer have a right to life,” she says, since the Turkish government cracked down on free speech after the 2016 failed coup attempt .

She is acutely aware of the freedom she has to return to Turkey whenever she wishes. She plans to use that freedom to continue photographing those who have little chance of returning home. “I want to continue to work with refugees in the UK,” she says.

The migrants passed the 90-minute journey mostly in silence, except for occasionally throwing their hands into the air to pray. “ Ya Allah! ” they would cry out. “Oh God!”

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Photo Essay : Stunning Seaside Towns on Italy’s Mediterranean

When I think of the tiny towns nestled along Italy’s Mediterranean coast, I think of the multi-hued sherbet cubes tucked into cliffsides, varying shades of aquamarine water with colorful boats bobbing up and down, gray pebbly beaches with lounge chairs and colorful umbrellas, steep craggy coastlines that abruptly drop into the forcefully churning surf and ports where fishmongers row in their catch of the day.

And though many of them possess these same characteristics, each one has its own history, charm, vibe and reasons to visit.  Enjoy this photo essay of some of the best seaside towns along the Mediterranean in Italy.

Sanremo is one of the westernmost town, so very close to the French border.  It’s home to a casino, palm trees and a luxurious looking Marina!

Genoa is one of the largest cities on the Northern Italy Coast.  It’s a large industrial port city and actually was Italy’s first.

Lerici is in the province of Liguria.  It’s considered part of the Italian Riviera. And in case you can’t tell from the photo…it’s a port town.

Cinque Terre means five towns. It is literally made up of five tiny villages, all connected by ancient paths.  This photo is of Manarola, one of the most recognizable in the Cinque Terre.

Another hugely popular town on the Italian Riviera is Portofino.  The small fishing village was supposedly discovered by Romans and named for dolphins.  The stunning half-moon shape of the harbor is best viewed from above, as in this photo.

Livorno is an ancient tangle of canals and walls.  It’s also known as Leghorn, and there is a breed of chicken named after the city.  Rumor has it that it’s how Foghorn Leghorn got his name.

Monterosso al Mare

Another tiny town included in the Cinque Terre.  I love how the little beach is anchored on either side by the huge rocks.  And check out the walkway just clinging to that cliff face on the right.

This unique town of the Cinque Terre wraps completely around the coast, offering spectacular views. The Doria Castle, which was erected to protect against pirates and the church’s octagonal bell tower are two notable sights.

C amogli, which means houses close together in Italian, is a tiny fishing village on the coast.  If this picture is any indication, it looks adorable.

Riomaggiore

The southernmost town in the Cinque Terre group.  It sits on the Gulf of Genoa and is known for its wine and aquariums.

Portovenere

This tiny fishing village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Its name is said to come from a temple to the goddess Venus. I know I’d feel like a goddess if I spent any time there.

Piombino is an ancient Etruscan port.  The area attracts snorkelers and divers from all over the world.  There is also a Marine Biology Center and aquarium.

Nettuno, named for the Roman god Neptune, is located in the Lazio region.  It’s a popular spot for sunbathers since it’s a stop on the local train out of Rome.

Gaeta has had a turbulent history, but is currently an important seaport for both fishing and oil.  You can also get tiella here, which is a unique combination of a pizza and calzone. I can imagine eating one on that stretch of golden sand.

Sorrento is a tourist destination in the Campania region, which overlooks the beautiful Bay of Naples.  Other than delicious views and luxury resorts, Sorrento is known for its Limoncello.  How ’bout a chilled sip while drooling over this view?

Made famous by the scenes shot here in Under the Tuscan Sun, this gem had been frequented by celebs long before that. Located on the Amalfi coast,  Positano was a medieval port and boasts two separate beaches- both equally beautiful.

Atrani, located a few minutes drive from Amalfi, is one of the most romantic towns of them all.  The location is stunning,even dramatic, and looking at this photo it’s clear why.   Their abundance of fish is evident in the Sagre del Pesce Azzurro, the celebratory fish festival.

Praiano, located between Positano and Amalfi, is home to the famed Grotto Esmerela, or Green Grotto.  Not quite as talked about as the famous Blue Grotto on Capri, but with views like this, how could it not be beautiful?

Once used by pirates as a naval base and later destroyed by Turkish pirates in the 16th century, this tiny gem is known for its anchovy and tuna production.  Oh, and it looks dreamy at dusk, wouldn’t you agree?

Tropea is situated on a reef in the toe of the boot, the Calabria region.  From the photo, we can tell it’s a favorite spot of beach-goers.  The people seem ant-like in relation to the giant sandstone cliffs.

Located at the mouth of a ravine called Monte Cerrato, Amalfi is certainly one of the most well-known towns.  An entire section of Italy’s southern coast is named after it.  Amalfi is home to a Duomo, campanile (bell tower) and hosts an ancient regatta once every four years.

Which stunning locale are you heading to first?  Include any favorites that I missed in the comments.

Note : Though many of these little villages are set in more specific areas of Italy’s coastline, such as the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas, I have grouped these bodies of water all together as part of the larger Mediterranean Sea for the pupose of this piece.

Photo Credits : Mike Flemming /  Perrimoon / Alex Scarcella /  Rob Inh00d / Extravigator / Conormac / LeeMcarthur / Tylerc083 / RoSSella Rebonato / [MP] / Nick’s Pics /   Raffaelesergi1977 / Sunshinecity / Michaelwm25 / S J Pickney / Robin Locker / Allerina & Glen MacLarty / MHJohnston / Ale Bovini / Simo0082 / Paul and Jill

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The 10 Best Photo Essays of the Month

This month’s Photojournalism Links collection highlights 10 excellent photo essays from across the world, including Tomas Munita ‘s photographs from Gaza and Israel, made on assignment for the New York Times . The work, coinciding with the first anniversary of last year’s 50 day war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, consists of eight innovative stop-motion-sequences which take us to the streets, hospitals, and homes on both sides of the conflict, and provide an immersive glimpse of how the two groups of communities are coping, one year after.

Tomas Munita: Walking in War’s Path (The New York Times )

Brent Stirton: Tracking Ivory: Terror in Africa | Ivory’s Human Toll (National Geographic) Two strong sets of images for National Geographic magazine’s latest cover story.

Lynsey Addario: Inside the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Diamond Mines (TIME LightBox) Terrific set of images looking at Congo’s diamond mining communities.

Andres Kudacki: Spain’s Housing Crisis (TIME LightBox) Powerful three-year project on the country’s home evictions, now on show at Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival.

Mary Ellen Mark: New Orleans (CNN Money) The legendary photographer’s final assignment, done ahead of Hurricane Katrina’s 10th anniversary.

Daniel Etter: Hands Across Water (Al Jazeera America) Moving series on a small Sea-Watch ship, with a rotating crew of just eight volunteers, trying to save refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean.

Sergey Ponomarev: On Island of Lesbos, a Microcosm of Greece’s Other Crisis: Migrants (The New York Times ) Dramatic photographs of refugees and migrants arriving to the Greek island.

Allison Joyce: Child Marriage Bangladesh (International Business Times) Heartbreaking pictures of a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl’s wedding | See also Joyce’s other Bangladeshi child marriage series at Mashable .

Andrea Bruce: Romania’s Disappearing Girls (Al Jazeera America) The Noor photographer’s work shows how poverty and desperation drive Romanian girls into the arms of sex traffickers.

Matt Black: Geography of Poverty: Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 (MSNBC) Second and third chapters of the Magnum photographer’s ambitious project mapping poverty around the U.S.

Mikko Takkunen is an Associate Photo Editor at TIME. Follow him on Twitter @photojournalism .

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How to Create an Engaging Photo Essay (with Examples)

Photo essays tell a story in pictures. They're a great way to improve at photography and story-telling skills at once. Learn how to do create a great one.

Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles

Photography is a medium used to tell stories – sometimes they are told in one picture, sometimes you need a whole series. Those series can be photo essays.

If you’ve never done a photo essay before, or you’re simply struggling to find your next project, this article will be of help. I’ll be showing you what a photo essay is and how to go about doing one.

You’ll also find plenty of photo essay ideas and some famous photo essay examples from recent times that will serve you as inspiration.

If you’re ready to get started, let’s jump right in!

Table of Contents

What is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay is a series of images that share an overarching theme as well as a visual and technical coherence to tell a story. Some people refer to a photo essay as a photo series or a photo story – this often happens in photography competitions.

Photographic history is full of famous photo essays. Think about The Great Depression by Dorothea Lange, Like Brother Like Sister by Wolfgang Tillmans, Gandhi’s funeral by Henri Cartier Bresson, amongst others.

What are the types of photo essay?

Despite popular belief, the type of photo essay doesn’t depend on the type of photography that you do – in other words, journalism, documentary, fine art, or any other photographic genre is not a type of photo essay.

Instead, there are two main types of photo essays: narrative and thematic .

As you have probably already guessed, the thematic one presents images pulled together by a topic – for example, global warming. The images can be about animals and nature as well as natural disasters devastating cities. They can happen all over the world or in the same location, and they can be captured in different moments in time – there’s a lot of flexibility.

A narrative photo essa y, on the other hand, tells the story of a character (human or not), portraying a place or an event. For example, a narrative photo essay on coffee would document the process from the planting and harvesting – to the roasting and grinding until it reaches your morning cup.

What are some of the key elements of a photo essay?

• Tell a unique story – A unique story doesn’t mean that you have to photograph something that nobody has done before – that would be almost impossible! It means that you should consider what you’re bringing to the table on a particular topic.
• Put yourself into the work – One of the best ways to make a compelling photo essay is by adding your point of view, which can only be done with your life experiences and the way you see the world.
• Add depth to the concept – The best photo essays are the ones that go past the obvious and dig deeper in the story, going behind the scenes, or examining a day in the life of the subject matter – that’s what pulls in the spectator.
• Nail the technique – Even if the concept and the story are the most important part of a photo essay, it won’t have the same success if it’s poorly executed.
• Build a structure – A photo essay is about telling a thought-provoking story – so, think about it in a narrative way. Which images are going to introduce the topic? Which ones represent a climax? How is it going to end – how do you want the viewer to feel after seeing your photo series?
• Make strong choices – If you really want to convey an emotion and a unique point of view, you’re going to need to make some hard decisions. Which light are you using? Which lens? How many images will there be in the series? etc., and most importantly for a great photo essay is the why behind those choices.

9 Tips for Creating a Photo Essay

Credit: Laura James

1. Choose something you know

To make a good photo essay, you don’t need to travel to an exotic location or document a civil war – I mean, it’s great if you can, but you can start close to home.

Depending on the type of photography you do and the topic you’re looking for in your photographic essay, you can photograph a local event or visit an abandoned building outside your town.

It will be much easier for you to find a unique perspective and tell a better story if you’re already familiar with the subject. Also, consider that you might have to return a few times to the same location to get all the photos you need.

2. Follow your passion

Most photo essays take dedication and passion. If you choose a subject that might be easy, but you’re not really into it – the results won’t be as exciting. Taking photos will always be easier and more fun if you’re covering something you’re passionate about.

3. Take your time

A great photo essay is not done in a few hours. You need to put in the time to research it, conceptualizing it, editing, etc. That’s why I previously recommended following your passion because it takes a lot of dedication, and if you’re not passionate about it – it’s difficult to push through.

4. Write a summary or statement

Photo essays are always accompanied by some text. You can do this in the form of an introduction, write captions for each photo or write it as a conclusion. That’s up to you and how you want to present the work.

5. Learn from the masters

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Making a photographic essay takes a lot of practice and knowledge. A great way to become a better photographer and improve your storytelling skills is by studying the work of others. You can go to art shows, review books and magazines and look at the winners in photo contests – most of the time, there’s a category for photo series.

6. Get a wide variety of photos

Think about a story – a literary one. It usually tells you where the story is happening, who is the main character, and it gives you a few details to make you engage with it, right?

The same thing happens with a visual story in a photo essay – you can do some wide-angle shots to establish the scenes and some close-ups to show the details. Make a shot list to ensure you cover all the different angles.

Some of your pictures should guide the viewer in, while others are more climatic and regard the experience they are taking out of your photos.

7. Follow a consistent look

Both in style and aesthetics, all the images in your series need to be coherent. You can achieve this in different ways, from the choice of lighting, the mood, the post-processing, etc.

8. Be self-critical

Once you have all the photos, make sure you edit them with a good dose of self-criticism. Not all the pictures that you took belong in the photo essay. Choose only the best ones and make sure they tell the full story.

9. Ask for constructive feedback

Often, when we’re working on a photo essay project for a long time, everything makes perfect sense in our heads. However, someone outside the project might not be getting the idea. It’s important that you get honest and constructive criticism to improve your photography.

How to Create a Photo Essay in 5 Steps

Credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh

1. Choose your topic

This is the first step that you need to take to decide if your photo essay is going to be narrative or thematic. Then, choose what is it going to be about?

Ideally, it should be something that you’re interested in, that you have something to say about it, and it can connect with other people.

2. Research your topic

To tell a good story about something, you need to be familiar with that something. This is especially true when you want to go deeper and make a compelling photo essay. Day in the life photo essays are a popular choice, since often, these can be performed with friends and family, whom you already should know well.

3. Plan your photoshoot

Depending on what you’re photographing, this step can be very different from one project to the next. For a fine art project, you might need to find a location, props, models, a shot list, etc., while a documentary photo essay is about planning the best time to do the photos, what gear to bring with you, finding a local guide, etc.

Every photo essay will need different planning, so before taking pictures, put in the required time to get things right.

4. Experiment

It’s one thing to plan your photo shoot and having a shot list that you have to get, or else the photo essay won’t be complete. It’s another thing to miss out on some amazing photo opportunities that you couldn’t foresee.

So, be prepared but also stay open-minded and experiment with different settings, different perspectives, etc.

5. Make a final selection

Editing your work can be one of the hardest parts of doing a photo essay. Sometimes we can be overly critical, and others, we get attached to bad photos because we put a lot of effort into them or we had a great time doing them.

Try to be as objective as possible, don’t be afraid to ask for opinions and make various revisions before settling down on a final cut.

7 Photo Essay Topics, Ideas & Examples

Credit: Michelle Leman

• Architectural photo essay

Using architecture as your main subject, there are tons of photo essay ideas that you can do. For some inspiration, you can check out the work of Francisco Marin – who was trained as an architect and then turned to photography to “explore a different way to perceive things”.

You can also lookup Luisa Lambri. Amongst her series, you’ll find many photo essay examples in which architecture is the subject she uses to explore the relationship between photography and space.

• Process and transformation photo essay

This is one of the best photo essay topics for beginners because the story tells itself. Pick something that has a beginning and an end, for example, pregnancy, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the life-cycle of a plant, etc.

Keep in mind that these topics are linear and give you an easy way into the narrative flow – however, it might be difficult to find an interesting perspective and a unique point of view.

• A day in the life of ‘X’ photo essay

There are tons of interesting photo essay ideas in this category – you can follow around a celebrity, a worker, your child, etc. You don’t even have to do it about a human subject – think about doing a photo essay about a day in the life of a racing horse, for example – find something that’s interesting for you.

• Time passing by photo essay

It can be a natural site or a landmark photo essay – whatever is close to you will work best as you’ll need to come back multiple times to capture time passing by. For example, how this place changes throughout the seasons or maybe even over the years.

A fun option if you live with family is to document a birthday party each year, seeing how the subject changes over time. This can be combined with a transformation essay or sorts, documenting the changes in interpersonal relationships over time.

• Travel photo essay

Do you want to make the jump from tourist snapshots into a travel photo essay? Research the place you’re going to be travelling to. Then, choose a topic.

If you’re having trouble with how to do this, check out any travel magazine – National Geographic, for example. They won’t do a generic article about Texas – they do an article about the beach life on the Texas Gulf Coast and another one about the diverse flavors of Texas.

The more specific you get, the deeper you can go with the story.

• Socio-political issues photo essay

This is one of the most popular photo essay examples – it falls under the category of photojournalism or documental photography. They are usually thematic, although it’s also possible to do a narrative one.

Depending on your topic of interest, you can choose topics that involve nature – for example, document the effects of global warming. Another idea is to photograph protests or make an education photo essay.

It doesn’t have to be a big global issue; you can choose something specific to your community – are there too many stray dogs? Make a photo essay about a local animal shelter. The topics are endless.

• Behind the scenes photo essay

A behind-the-scenes always make for a good photo story – people are curious to know what happens and how everything comes together before a show.

Depending on your own interests, this can be a photo essay about a fashion show, a theatre play, a concert, and so on. You’ll probably need to get some permissions, though, not only to shoot but also to showcase or publish those images.

4 Best Photo Essays in Recent times

Now that you know all the techniques about it, it might be helpful to look at some photo essay examples to see how you can put the concept into practice. Here are some famous photo essays from recent times to give you some inspiration.

Habibi by Antonio Faccilongo

This photo essay wan the World Press Photo Story of the Year in 2021. Faccilongo explores a very big conflict from a very specific and intimate point of view – how the Israeli-Palestinian war affects the families.

He chose to use a square format because it allows him to give order to things and eliminate unnecessary elements in his pictures.

With this long-term photo essay, he wanted to highlight the sense of absence and melancholy women and families feel towards their husbands away at war.

The project then became a book edited by Sarah Leen and the graphics of Ramon Pez.

Picture This: New Orleans by Mary Ellen Mark

The last assignment before her passing, Mary Ellen Mark travelled to New Orleans to register the city after a decade after Hurricane Katrina.

The images of the project “bring to life the rebirth and resilience of the people at the heart of this tale”, – says CNNMoney, commissioner of the work.

Each survivor of the hurricane has a story, and Mary Ellen Mark was there to record it. Some of them have heartbreaking stories about everything they had to leave behind.

Others have a story of hope – like Sam and Ben, two eight-year-olds born from frozen embryos kept in a hospital that lost power supply during the hurricane, yet they managed to survive.

Selfie by Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer whose work is mainly done through self-portraits. With them, she explores the concept of identity, gender stereotypes, as well as visual and cultural codes.

One of her latest photo essays was a collaboration with W Magazine entitled Selfie. In it, the author explores the concept of planned candid photos (‘plandid’).

The work was made for Instagram, as the platform is well known for the conflict between the ‘real self’ and the one people present online. Sherman started using Facetune, Perfect365 and YouCam to alter her appearance on selfies – in Photoshop, you can modify everything, but these apps were designed specifically to “make things prettier”- she says, and that’s what she wants to explore in this photo essay.

Tokyo Compression by Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf has an interest in the broad-gauge topic Life in Cities. From there, many photo essays have been derived – amongst them – Tokyo Compression .

He was horrified by the way people in Tokyo are forced to move to the suburbs because of the high prices of the city. Therefore, they are required to make long commutes facing 1,5 hours of train to start their 8+ hour workday followed by another 1,5 hours to get back home.

To portray this way of life, he photographed the people inside the train pressed against the windows looking exhausted, angry or simply absent due to this way of life.

You can visit his website to see other photo essays that revolve around the topic of life in megacities.

Final Words

It’s not easy to make photo essays, so don’t expect to be great at it right from your first project.

Start off small by choosing a specific subject that’s interesting to you –  that will come from an honest place, and it will be a great practice for some bigger projects along the line.

Whether you like to shoot still life or you’re a travel photographer, I hope these photo essay tips and photo essay examples can help you get started and grow in your photography.

Let us know which topics you are working on right now – we’ll love to hear from you!

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Ana Mireles is a Mexican researcher that specializes in photography and communications for the arts and culture sector.

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What Solar Eclipse-Gazing Has Looked Like for the Past 2 Centuries

Millions of people on Monday will continue the tradition of experiencing and capturing solar eclipses, a pursuit that has spawned a lot of unusual gear.

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By Sarah Eckinger

• April 8, 2024

For centuries, people have been clamoring to glimpse solar eclipses. From astronomers with custom-built photographic equipment to groups huddled together with special glasses, this spectacle has captivated the human imagination.

Creating a Permanent Record

In 1860, Warren de la Rue captured what many sources describe as the first photograph of a total solar eclipse . He took it in Rivabellosa, Spain, with an instrument known as the Kew Photoheliograph . This combination of a telescope and camera was specifically built to photograph the sun.

Forty years later, Nevil Maskelyne, a magician and an astronomy enthusiast, filmed a total solar eclipse in North Carolina. The footage was lost, however, and only released in 2019 after it was rediscovered in the Royal Astronomical Society’s archives.

Telescopic Vision

For scientists and astronomers, eclipses provide an opportunity not only to view the moon’s umbra and gaze at the sun’s corona, but also to make observations that further their studies. Many observatories, or friendly neighbors with a telescope, also make their instruments available to the public during eclipses.

Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen, Fridtjof Nansen and Sigurd Scott Hansen observing a solar eclipse while on a polar expedition in 1894 .

Women from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and their professor tested out equipment ahead of their eclipse trip (to “catch old Sol in the act,” as the original New York Times article phrased it) to New London, Conn., in 1922.

A group from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania traveled to Yerbaniz, Mexico, in 1923, with telescopes and a 65-foot camera to observe the sun’s corona .

Dr. J.J. Nassau, director of the Warner and Swasey Observatory at Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, prepared to head to Douglas Hill, Maine, to study an eclipse in 1932. An entire freight car was required to transport the institution’s equipment.

Visitors viewed a solar eclipse at an observatory in Berlin in the mid-1930s.

A family set up two telescopes in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1963. The two children placed stones on the base to help steady them.

An astronomer examined equipment for an eclipse in a desert in Mauritania in June 1973. We credit the hot climate for his choice in outfit.

Indirect Light

If you see people on Monday sprinting to your local park clutching pieces of paper, or with a cardboard box of their head, they are probably planning to reflect or project images of the solar eclipse onto a surface.

Cynthia Goulakos demonstrated a safe way to view a solar eclipse , with two pieces of cardboard to create a reflection of the shadowed sun, in Lowell, Mass., in 1970.

Another popular option is to create a pinhole camera. This woman did so in Central Park in 1963 by using a paper cup with a small hole in the bottom and a twin-lens reflex camera.

Amateur astronomers viewed a partial eclipse, projected from a telescope onto a screen, from atop the Empire State Building in 1967 .

Back in Central Park, in 1970, Irving Schwartz and his wife reflected an eclipse onto a piece of paper by holding binoculars on the edge of a garbage basket.

Children in Denver in 1979 used cardboard viewing boxes and pieces of paper with small pinholes to view projections of a partial eclipse.

A crowd gathered around a basin of water dyed with dark ink, waiting for the reflection of a solar eclipse to appear, in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1995.

Staring at the Sun (or, How Not to Burn Your Retinas)

Eclipse-gazers have used different methods to protect their eyes throughout the years, some safer than others .

In 1927, women gathered at a window in a building in London to watch a total eclipse through smoked glass. This was popularized in France in the 1700s , but fell out of favor when physicians began writing papers on children whose vision was damaged.

Another trend was to use a strip of exposed photographic film, as seen below in Sydney, Australia, in 1948 and in Turkana, Kenya, in 1963. This method, which was even suggested by The Times in 1979 , has since been declared unsafe.

Solar eclipse glasses are a popular and safe way to view the event ( if you use models compliant with international safety standards ). Over the years there have been various styles, including these large hand-held options found in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1979.

Parents and children watched a partial eclipse through their eclipse glasses in Tokyo in 1981.

Slimmer, more colorful options were used in Nabusimake, Colombia, in 1998.

In France in 1999.

And in Iran and England in 1999.

And the best way to see the eclipse? With family and friends at a watch party, like this one in Isalo National Park in Madagascar in 2001.

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WNDR in Photos

The WNDR museum recently opened a branch in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Take a look at some of the diverse, one-of-a-kind installations WNDR has to offer on its mission to disrupt and transform the traditional museum experience.

1. “The Wisdom Project” - WNDR Studios

WNDR Guests can participate in this ever-growing installation that draws wisdom from its visitors.

2. “Speak Up!” - WNDR Studios

The medium is technology. Digital telephones retrofitted with a Teensy microcontroller are the conduits. You are the receiver.

3. “MPO-1 (Time Machine)” - Joshua Ellingson

Explore the reflection of “Pepper’s Ghost” as you hover near a theremin in this retro illusion.

4. “Magnetic Symphony” - WNDR Studios

Electromagnetic wires are the locks, and their tin cans are the key to this audiovisual symphony.

5. “Flex” - Austin Watson, Pedro Neves

This pressure-reactive flexible fabric bends to the touch. Ignited by computer programming, this exhibition is a tactile exploration.

6. “We Are All Artists” - Brad Keywell

“Who decides who is an ‘artist’?” is the question Keywell poses in this exhibit. Perhaps, for the first time, the answer is all of us.

7. “Color & Light” - WNDR Studios

The change between monochrome and rainbow happens surprisingly fast in this room. Explore colors in an ever-changing dimension.

8. “Let’s Survive Forever” - Yayoi Kusama

This exhibit is an exploration of reflection. The mirrors, LED lights, and reflective orbs form a mirage that interact in “a form of self-obliteration.”

9. “Fortune” - WNDR Studios

Ask this animatronic oracle to riddle you a fortune, and you may just be rewarded for your curiosity. —Staff writer Alisa S. Regassa can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @alisaregassa .

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The Best Mediterranean Restaurants In NYC

photo credit: Melissa Hom

Bryan Kim & Will Hartman

April 5, 2024

When it comes to labels, “Mediterranean” is as vague as it gets. The sea stretches between three continents and touches over 20 countries, each with its own distinct culinary identity. And yet, it’s a term you hear every day. The next time a friend tells you that they have Mediterranean on the brain, here are a bunch of spots—with influences that range from Spain to Lebanon—that should fit the bill.

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

Around since 1998, Tanoreen is a New York City staple, serving shareable portions of Palestinian and Middle Eastern food best enjoyed with a group. The baba ganoush is lemony, the fetti with sumac-spiced lamb gets some crunch from almonds and fried pita, and the gooey knafeh is worth every bit of its 20-minute wait. Bring the whole family to this Bay Ridge spot, and enjoy a casual meal at a big round table under a glowing chandelier.

photo credit: Emily Schindler

Williamsburg

You’d think the rooftop view would be the main selling point of this Philly import atop a Williamsburg hotel. But it’s actually the unlimited platter of salatim that accompanies every meal. Order a main—like the amba-spiced eggplant, or lamb and beef koobideh—and it’ll arrive with a huge platter of vegetable sides arranged around a bowl of garlic-heavy hummus. Try this spot for a fun group dinner with some friends who want to feel a breeze while they eat grilled food, and be sure to book a full three weeks in advance.

photo credit: David A. Lee

Mediterranean

Hudson Yards

Zou Zou’s, a glitzy restaurant in the Penn Station-adjacent development known as Manhattan West, fully embraces the vagueness of its Mediterranean label. Stop by for some Moroccan fried chicken, a spiral-shaped duck borek, or a skillet of flaming kasseri cheese with Lebanese focaccia on the side. The food isn’t traditional, but it’s fun, inventive, and great for sharing. Try this place for a big night out when you want to drink a turmeric Negroni in a space with sweeping red booths and an excess of globe lights.

photo credit: Jason Varney

Similar to Zou Zou's, Zaytinya is an upscale spot with a menu that bounces all over the place. Located in the bottom of the Ritz-Carlton in Nomad, the José Andrés establishment does Turkish, Greek , and Lebanese items like taramasalata, falafel, and braised lamb shank. There are lots of flatbreads and mezze, so plan on having a two-to-three-small-plates-each sort of experience. The spacious restaurant looks like a seaside resort, and you should, appropriately, focus on the seafood. 

The Chelsea sequel to Shuka is even better than its Soho sibling. Shukette is tough to get into for a variety of reasons, many of which fall into the category bread. Try the charred and fluffy Moroccan-style frena topped with whole cloves of garlic, or the thin, grilled laffa with caraway and lemon. Accessorize your carbs with labneh and whipped feta, then finish things off with some heavily marinated grilled chicken and a bowl of soft serve. The narrow room, with its mile-long bar, is casual enough for a weeknight, but the Middle Eastern food is special occasion-worthy.

Fort Greene

Its soothing sand-colored walls and custom ceramics say “wellness retreat in the Palm Springs area,” but Theodora’s wood-fired food is broadly Mediterranean. This Fort Greene sister restaurant of Miss Ada specializes in dry-aged fish and seafood small plates like sliced toro on lavash and grilled prawns with pineapple pico de gallo. A lot of dishes are pleasantly smoky, and there’s plenty of non-Mediterranean influence going on as well. It can be tough to snag a reservation, but don’t be afraid to put your name in for a seat at the bar. Even a 45-minute wait is worth it.

photo credit: Kate Previte

West Village

In the minuscule, relatively unknown neighborhood that is Hudson Square, there’s not much going on (unless you count all the bridal showers at Maman). There is, however, a non-stop party in Port Sa’id. At this cavernous restaurant, a nightly DJ spins vinyl from a booth flanked by enormous speakers, and a kitchen tucked behind the bar churns out food with ultra-fresh produce. The baked potato with “horseradish snow” is an unexpected highlight, and a simple roast beef sandwich is greater than the sum of its parts.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Cervo's

Lower East Side

Part wine bar, part Dimes Square it-spot, Cervo’s is a scene with an abundance of seafood. The menu is Iberian-inspired, the wine list is heavy on tempranillo and xarel-lo, and the dark, narrow room is usually crammed with folks you may recognize from Hinge. Build a meal with small plates like fried shrimp heads, and spicy mussels escabeche, or keep it simple with the $25 lamb burger—and don’t forget to add anchovies. Reservations are highly recommended, although Cervo’s does take walk-ins.

The view from Celestine is so nice it’s almost cheesy. If you snag a table on the outdoor patio, you’ll find yourself practically beneath the Manhattan Bridge, with the East River and downtown Manhattan right in front of you. So if you’re looking to impress a few tourists, this upscale Mediterranean restaurant will get the job done. You might assume that the food is an afterthought, but, fortunately, that’s not the case. Everyone should be happy sharing a $32 mezze platter and some well-cooked branzino.  

photo credit: Will Hartman

Middle Eastern

Upper East Side

Al Badawi’s cheesy flatbreads and big shareable plates of roasted lamb are some of the most reliable big-group dinner items in New York. They have locations in Brooklyn Heights and the Upper East Side, and both are BYOB. The UES edition has a giant fake tree in one corner, and it’s generally pretty easy to walk into with a group. Bring some friends, get a dip sampler, a few flatbreads, and a couple bottles of wine, and expect lots of good conversation while you enjoy a Palestinian feast. 

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

With two locations in North Brooklyn, Dar 525 is the increasingly rare sort of spot where you can get a quality one-dish meal for around $20. The Williamsburg outpost is casual and homey, with brick walls, hanging lanterns, and antique decor, and it’s perfect for a quick meal on a Wednesday night. Get yourself a plate piled with hummus, rice, and shredded chicken shawarma, and use the stretchy, paper-thin pita on the side to clean up every last bit.

photo credit: Dagon

Upper West Side

There’s a decent chance you’ve seen pictures of Dagon’s kubaneh. It’s not just influencer bait. The big pull-apart loaf of bread is moist and fluffy, with peanut dukkah sprinkled in the crevices. Swing by this spacious, plant-filled Upper West Side restaurant, and pair your kubaneh with chicken schnitzel or steak kebabs. This place is great for brunch, especially if you’re looking for something slightly upscale (the servers wear ties), preferably with a pastel color scheme.

Suggested Reading

The Best French Restaurants In NYC

Casual bistros and special-occasion spots where you can eat butter-based food by candlelight.

The Best Greek Restaurants In NYC

If your last viewing of Mamma Mia left you dreaming about fresh fish, souvlaki, and octopus, here are the best places to eat those things.

The Best Italian Restaurants In NYC

Where to eat Italian in NYC when you aren’t willing to settle.

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Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Israel says troops moved for new operations

Israel says it pulled out thousands of soldiers – including from war-ravaged Khan Younis – ahead of other operations, as truce talks in Cairo restart six months since the devastating conflict began.

The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza  here .

• Israeli troops who pulled out of Gaza on Sunday did so to prepare for future operations, including in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, as Gaza marks six months of devastating war.
• Mediators resume ceasefire talks in Egypt’s capital Cairo with Qatar’s prime minister and the CIA chief in attendance, but it’s unclear if high-level Israeli officials are participating.
• Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters rallied in Tel Aviv calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation and a deal to secure the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza.
• At least 33,175 Palestinians have been killed and 75,886 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.

That’s a wrap from us

Thank you for joining us for updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza. Please check our homepage for the latest news.

A look at what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a quick recap from today:

• The Israeli military said it’s withdrawing more ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving just one brigade there.
• Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the troops are being pulled out to prepare for future operations, including in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah.
• Many of Khan Younis’s displaced residents rushed back to their city after Israeli forces relocated from southern Gaza to find a wasteland of destruction and rubble.
• The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that several civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli shelling of Nuseirat refugee camp and Rafah.
• CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Egyptian mediators, and delegations from Hamas and Israel are reported to have met in Cairo for the latest round of ceasefire talks.
• Israeli media reported that the US made a new proposal for a captive deal on Sunday night in Cairo that demands a significant compromise on the part of both Israel and Hamas.

Photos: ‘Bring Them Home’ demonstrations outside UN headquarters

Italy’s foreign minister calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has called for a ceasefire in Gaza in a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Rome.

“We call for an immediate ceasefire to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and obtain the liberation of the hostages … to then achieve a sustainable and prolonged cease-fire,” Tajani said, according to a statement from his office.

He added that although he believed Israel had the right to defend itself after the October 7 attacks, “the number of civilians killed in Gaza is in no way justifiable”.

He added that Italy continues to work to reach peace in Gaza and that it is firmly against an Israeli ground operation in Rafah.

Turkey-Israel trade volume declines amid war on Gaza

Data from the Turkish Trade Ministry indicates that the trade volume between Turkey and Israel has declined significantly since Israel began its war on Gaza.

The total Turkey-Israel trade volume fell by nearly 33 percent from October 7, 2023, to March 20, 2024.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s exports to Israel fell by 30 percent, while its imports decreased by 43.4 percent.

Turkish nationals and companies have been gradually cancelling sales and orders with Israel, with trade confined mainly to private and international, rather than state enterprises.

Photos: Demonstrators in Lisbon show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza

Israeli troops leaving Gaza could be rested, relocated or prepared for Rafah assault

David Des Roches, an associate professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies, spoke to Al Jazeera about why Israel has decided to withdraw thousands of troops from the Gaza Strip.

He listed three possible reasons.

The first, he said, was that many of the soldiers needed to be rotated, rested and refitted. US White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby had said this earlier on Sunday.

The second reason was for the Israeli military to prepare for a potential assault on Rafah in the southern tip of Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had said on Sunday evening that troop withdrawal from Khan Younis was part of preparations to launch a ground attack on Rafah.

The third possible reason Des Roches gave for the withdrawal was tensions with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Israel may want to have troops that are not pinned down in Gaza but are available for operations elsewhere if needed, in the short term,” he said.

Palestinian Civil Defense battles fire after Israeli bombardment on Gaza City

The Palestinian Civil Defense published a video on Telegram, which has been verified by Al Jazeera, showing the moment its crews dealt with a fire that broke out in a shop after it was bombed by Israeli aircraft on Fahmy Bey Street, Palestine Square, in Gaza City.

Two firemen are seen spraying water from hoses onto the bombed-out shop front, which is engulfed in flames. The buildings surrounding the shop are charred and damaged, with rubble strewn across the street and crumpled corrugated iron sheets.

German civil servants demand ‘immediate’ end to Israeli arms supplies

A group of German civil servants have written to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other senior ministers calling on the government to “cease arm deliveries to the Israeli government with immediate effect”.

“Israel is committing crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction to international law and thus to the constitution, which we are bound to as federal civil servants and public employees,” the statement says, citing the International Court of Justice’s ruling in January that Israel’s military actions are “plausible acts of genocide”.

According to the organisers of the five-page statement, about 600 civil servants have voiced support for the initiative, which has slowly been gathering traction for months through professional networks and word-of-mouth across a range of ministries.

Read more here .

Hamas releases news statement after Cairo talks

In the statement, the group said its delegation had arrived in Cairo and met with Egypt’s Interior Minister Abbas Kamel.

Hamas said its aims for the negotiations are:

• An agreement that achieves a complete cessation of aggression by Israeli forces
• The withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip
• The free return of the displaced in the Gaza Strip to their areas and places of residence
• Relief for Palestinians in Gaza and the beginning of the reconstruction
• A deal for the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas and the other groups in Gaza.

Photos: Palestinians return to destroyed homes in Khan Younis

Oman urges de-escalation during Iran FM visit

Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi has called for de-escalation during a visit by his Iranian counterpart, who started a regional tour in Muscat.

The visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian came almost a week after a deadly air strike in Damascus on the Iranian embassy.

The attack, believed to be carried out by Israel, killed seven of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including two generals. Iranian leaders have called for retaliation.

“Oman supports efforts to reduce escalation in the region, address various issues and conflicts, and for the voice of wisdom to prevail,” al-Busaidi said in a statement carried by the official Oman News Agency.

Oman has long been a mediator between Tehran and the West.

“The Palestinian issue is the main issue that we are working to overcome,” the minister said.

Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Nuseirat refugee camp, Rafah: Report

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reports that several civilians have been killed and others injured in an Israeli shelling of Nuseirat refugee camp and Rafah city.

Citing medical sources, the media outlet reported that six civilians were killed in Israeli aerial raids targeting a commercial facility in Ain Jalut towers, south of the Nuseirat camp.

Wafa also stated that Israeli warplanes bombed a group of civilians in the town of Nassr, north of Rafah, killing at least one civilian and wounding several others.

More than half of Israelis believe gov’t not doing enough for captives: Poll

According to a Channel 12 poll, 56 percent say the government is not “doing enough to bring back” the captives in Gaza.

The poll also found that almost half of Israelis (49 percent) believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is carrying out decisions based on his own political interests.

Cross-border fire between southern Lebanon, northern Israel

Israel’s military posted on X that its fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah rocket launcher and operational infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

It also said that earlier in the day an aerial attack from Lebanon was intercepted by air defences, and rocket attacks were detected over northern Israel, but no casualties were reported.

Three possibilities for Israel’s troop withdrawal, analyst says

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor in the Media Studies programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, spoke to Al Jazeera about the recent announcement that Israel would pull out thousands of soldiers from the south of the Gaza Strip.

He listed three possibilities for Israel’s motivation.

One is Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s explanation that the withdrawal is to prepare for future operations, including in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah.

Another possibility he posited is a “redistribution” of troops in and around the Gaza Strip.

Alternatively, it could be “a negotiating ploy”. It’s better for Israel, he said, if Hamas thinks that an attack on Rafah is “imminent”.

Elmasry said that he is marginally more optimistic about the latest round of ceasefire talks because of the heightened pressure on Israel.

“There’s pressure domestically [in Israel], with the protests, but also international pressure,” he said.

“Israel last week killed seven international aid workers. These killings came at the same time that media reports were coming out of Israel, showing … Israel is prepared to kill a hundred Palestinian civilians if it thinks it can kill a single low-level Hamas operative,” he said.

“This has caused outrage in the international community, and I think that’s one reason why international pressure is picking up.”

US expected to propose new captive deal: Report

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the US is expected to make a new proposal for a captive deal tonight that will demand a significant compromise on the part of both Israel and Hamas.

The media outlet cites an Israeli source who said: “The significant involvement and pressure applied by the US can influence the standstill that the negotiations are in.”

Haaretz stated that the Israeli delegation present at the talks in Cairo included David Barnea, the head of Israel’s national intelligence agency Mossad ; Ronen Bar, the chief of Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet ; and Nitzan Alon, the head of Hostages Headquarters.

The US’s CIA Director William Burns and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani are also present at the talks.

Iraq to send fuel to Gaza, treat wounded Palestinians

Iraq has agreed to send 10 million litres of fuel to the Gaza Strip in support of the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced in a statement.

Iraq also agreed to receive wounded Palestinians from Gaza and provide them with treatment in state and private hospitals.

The Israeli army has routinely blocked the arrival of food and fuel since the start of its war on the enclave, leaving nearly all the 2.3 million people trapped in Gaza facing starvation , with the United Nations saying famine will take hold in various parts of the enclave by May.

Father of killed aid worker urges tougher US stance on Israel

The father of Jacob Flickinger, a US citizen killed in an Israeli air strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy of aid workers in Gaza on April 1, has spoken to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, The Associated Press reports.

John Flickinger told Blinken that the US, Israel’s most important ally, must use its power to pressure Israel to end killings in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“If the United States threatened to suspend aid to Israel, maybe my son would be alive today,” Flickinger told AP as he described his 30-minute conversation on Saturday with Blinken.

Jacob, 33, was killed in Israeli drone strikes that hit a convoy he and six other aid workers were travelling in to deliver food aid in Gaza.

The elder Flickinger said that in his view, the strike “was a deliberate attempt to intimidate aid workers and to stop the flow of humanitarian aid”.

Palestinian detainee in Israeli prison dies

According to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Walid Daqqa, a 62-year-old prisoner who suffered from cancer, has died in Shamir Medical Center.

Daqqa was from Baqa al-Gharbiyye, a predominantly Palestinian city near the Green Line in Israel.

The father of one had served 38 years in Israeli prisons, the commission said.

His daughter, Milad, was conceived via semen smuggled from prison, it added.

Israel says troops left Gaza to prepare for more missions, including in Rafah

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says Israeli troops who pulled out of Gaza on Sunday did so to prepare for future operations, including in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah.

“The forces are exiting and preparing for their next missions. We saw examples of such missions in the Shifa operation , and also of their coming mission in the Rafah area,” Gallant said at a meeting with military officials, according to a statement from his office.

Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement that “the war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping. Senior Hamas officials are still hiding. We will reach them sooner or later”.

“We will not leave any Hamas brigades active – in any part of the Gaza Strip. We have plans and will act when we decide,” he said.

LISTEN: What will it take for Israel and Hamas to call a truce?

There is yet another round of talks to reach a truce in Gaza.

Repeated attempts have so far failed to end Israel’s six-month war on the Gaza Strip.

With both Israel and Hamas sticking to their positions, will this round be any different? And is a deal even possible?

Listen to the latest episode of Al Jazeera’s The Inside Story podcast:

Israel’s war on Gaza: Six months of relentless death and destruction

It has been six months since Hamas launched attacks on Israel, which retaliated with a massive assault on the Gaza Strip.

Israel shows no sign of stopping, as its allies continue to provide it with more weapons to use on Palestinians along with political support, and mediated talks have not led to a ceasefire.

The war on Gaza, Israel says, is in retaliation for attacks on Israeli territory by armed groups led by Hamas’s Qassam Brigades from Gaza, which killed 1,139 people and took about 250 captive.

Take a look at the toll the Israeli attacks have taken on Gaza here .

Top UN court to hold hearings in case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s war

The United Nations’ top court in The Hague is hearing a case on Monday that seeks an end to German military aid and other support to Israel.

Nicaragua says that Berlin is “facilitating” acts of genocide and breaches of international law in Gaza, where Israel’s war has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

While the case brought by Nicaragua centres on Germany, which provides a reported 30 percent of the Israeli military’s weapons, it indirectly takes aim at Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.

Germany’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Berlin rejects Nicaragua’s accusations and has not breached either the Genocide Convention or international humanitarian law.

Photos: Demonstrations outside the Knesset