1994 Photo Contest, General News, 1st prize
Photographer

Larry Towell

Magnum Photos

01 January, 1993

Adolescents and young men on Palestine Square in Gaza City flee Israeli live ammunition during a month in which the Israeli forces applied a policy of shoot to kill. The stone in the hand of the fleeing young man represents a resistence symbol of the Palestinian intifada. The First Intifada, the first Palestinian uprising against Israel, started in December 1987 and strengthened the Arab population in their determination to fight the occupying Israeli force. In March 1993, Israel closed its border with Gaza, causing a massive rise in unemployment. With more than 800,000 people contained in the Israeli-patrolled, 8 km wide strip of land, bloodshed increased sharply. The violence reached a peak in May, when 30 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured. The peace agreement signed in Washington D.C. on 13 September 1993 promised limited authority for the Gaza Strip and a withdrawal of the Israeli army.

About the photographer

Larry Towell

Larry Towell has worked for many years as a freelance Magnum photographer in areas of conflict and social unrest. His work has resulted in thirteen books, hundreds of journal pub...

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