we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

His weapon was a camera

Yasser's only weapon was his camera. But that scares Israel.
Basman Derawi
  • Gaza Strip
  • Diaspora

On April 6, Palestinian photojournalist Yasser Murtaja was covering Gaza's Great Return March, a six-week demonstration along the Israeli border to call attention to Palestinians' right to return to their ancestral homeland. He was shot by an Israeli sniper, dying of his wounds. 

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Yasser Murtaja

 

Carrying his soul in the palm of his hand, 
His heart races to see his homeland. 
To tell the truth of his people.

With his naked hands,
With nothing behind his back
Only "press" on his chest,
Witnessing the march.
His weapon is his camera,
The scariest of weapons for his killers.

A bullet explodes in his side; 
The sniper who stole his bed
seeks to steal his words. 

His blood flows to the ground,
His soul travels to the heavens,
Yet his words will live.

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