Fatima Hassouna

Fatima Hassouna (Arabic: فاطمة حسّونة‎), born in March 2000 in Gaza City, Palestine, was a talented freelance photojournalist whose powerful imagery captured the stark realities of civilian life during the Gaza conflict. Tragically, her life was cut short on April 16, 2025, when an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of Fatima and ten members of her family in their home.

Raised in a middle-class family, with her father working as a taxi driver, Fatima pursued her passion for photography after graduating from the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza. She quickly gained acclaim for her work, collaborating with various local and international media outlets, including Untold Palestine and Mondoweiss. Her poignant photographs were featured in notable publications such as The Guardian, and she participated in significant exhibitions like "Gaza, My Beloved" and "SAFE." Colleagues affectionately referred to her as "the eye of Gaza."

Fatima began documenting the aftermath of the Israeli bombardments that followed the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. As one of the few local journalists allowed to report from Gaza, she captured the devastation, civilian suffering, and remarkable resilience of her community. In addition to her journalistic pursuits, she organized writing workshops for displaced children in northern Gaza.

On January 13, 2024, she survived an airstrike that killed twelve family members. Her last Instagram post, shared on April 15, 2025, depicted a sunset in Gaza, symbolizing hope amid despair. The day after her documentary was selected for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Fatima lost her life, prompting over 350 artists to sign a letter condemning her assassination and the ongoing violence in Gaza.