Moments of Joy and Gathering Through the Camera Lens of Mohammad Arif
© Mohammad Arif
Despite the oppression, pain, and loss of all familiar fixtures society imprinted and engraved on the faces of Gaza’s residents, the phone camera of one young man roams the tents of the displaced in Khan Younis. Amidst destroyed homes, businesses, places of education, medical centers, and all things beautiful, Mohammad Arif captures scenes of joy and the appreciation of life amid the displaced across all ages. Through his photos, he declares that the people of Gaza love life as much as they can and deserve to have their moments of comfort, beauty, and healing in defiance of all that they have endured: the Al-Aqsa Flood and the utter destruction before and since. The people of Gaza remain; they continue living, even as they are forced to live in fabric tents that offer no protection from the cold of winter or the heat of summer.
© Mohammad Arif
Sometimes, he directs his camera toward the elderly playing backgammon, spiritedly competing while gathering around the television to follow the news closely. Other times, he focuses on the women who brighten the camp with their sheer presence—their voices, their warm, gentle touches. And he never forgets the children with their innocence, purity, and kindness as they play, chat, and cooperate in helping their families and fetching water.
Mohammad Arif frequently receives such as, “Your videos are in harmony,” “The songs you choose are very appropriate,” and “The sequences are consistent and coherent—we want to replay the video multiple times.” He responds to these praises by stating that he is ready to offer any assistance for free.
© Mohammad Arif
Mohammad Arif hails from a Palestinian refugee family from the village of Barbara in occupied Palestine. He lived on Al-Mukhabarat Street in Gaza City in a zinc-roofed house for nineteen years; three months before the war, he moved to live in the Al-Shati camp in a beautifully furnished apartment and has since moved twelve times, from Az-Zawayda (in the central Rafah governorate) to Mawasi. Now 20 years old, he lives in a tent in Mawasi Al-Qarara, Khan Younis—the “safe humanitarian zone” announced by the Israeli occupation forces—after being forcibly displaced from his camp in Gaza City in March 2023. He enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at Al-Azhar University in September 2022 and is now continuing his education through online classes. His dream of owning a high-quality camera came true in December 2024, and he aspires to establish his own photography and editing studio to create beautiful images that spotlight the best in his clients.
© Mohammad Arif
Arif adds, “The war has not diminished my ambition and dream of becoming a prominent photojournalist and graphic designer. I am always seeking new opportunities and volunteering with organizations that provide assistance to displaced people in the southern Gaza Strip, documenting their work by creating meaningful and distinctive videos.”
His love for photography began before he owned or could afford a camera. Arif’s passion for photography started with a used phone when he took a photography course in the ninth grade. When he entered university, his mother, who works in journalism and labor media advocacy, gifted him an iPhone. When he started university, he acquired an advanced laptop, which helped him design advertisements and videos. He describes the difficulty of replacing it as its cost exceeded his family’s financial means, characterizing his laptop “like a son to him”—he protects it, carrying it with him everywhere during the ongoing airstrikes in southern Gaza.
Mohammad faces significant threats while moving around during the bombings to capture images that highlight both the suffering and beauty of Gaza’s residents and convey the truth, all while miraculously surviving the dangers. Like many ambitious youths in Gaza, Arif advocates for distinction, hope, self-fulfillment, and changing Palestinians’ reality for the better. They strive to highlight the often unseen, nuanced side of their oppressed people who were forcibly displaced from their safe homes. Their photos and videos reach for freedom, justice, and human rights.
Translated by Noor Abu Mariam, a writer from Gaza
Edited by Jubilee Park