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Politics and Activism

When Photos Speak Louder Than Words

Omran Daqneesh caught the world's attention, but millions not photographed still suffer.

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When Photos Speak Louder Than Words
ibtimes

Last week, a photo of a small boy went viral.

His name is Omran Daqneesh, a 5-year-old Syrian boy who caught the world’s attention in a video of him wiping dried blood and dust from his face after he was pulled out of the debris from his destroyed home in Aleppo that was hit by an airstrike.

According to The New York Times, the widespread interest in Omran surprised the doctors who treated him, the photographer who shot the video and many Syrians who wondered whether the world had only just discovered how children have suffered every day in a war that has raged for more than five years.

This past weekend, Omran’s 10-year-old brother, Ali, died of wounds he suffered during the same attack, medical workers said. Ali’s death, which did not draw the same instant social media outpouring as Omran’s suffering, only underscored how many Syrian children are dying under the radar of the wider world.

There are some images that strike a nerve for those who view them; some reasons are unknown and some are obvious. Here are some other pictures of children taken this past week at hospitals in the same region:


Ahmad Tadifi, 2

Arriving at the same hospital where Omran was treated, this boy underwent surgery for serious injuries to his head, groin and right arm and leg. He later on died from his injuries.


Rouwaida Hanoun, 5

Rouwaida and her 7-month-old sister Rana were both treated at the same hospital. Both suffered shrapnel wounds that required care, and were released later on.


An unidentified boy

This boy was treated and released. No one came to claim him. He was never identified. The medical workers that were reached did not remember the boy, which is not unusual in the overwhelmed hospitals.


These are just a few pictures of many that have circulated between photographers and doctors in Aleppo to other journalists worldwide.

For those that do not enjoy reading, let these pictures speak to you. Let them tell you stories of pain and suffering.

Know that this is their reality; Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed because of this war, and there are even more victims who cannot be photographed because their bodies reside under the debris of what once was their home.


Four children, no picture

A barrel bomb landed on a house in the Jalloum quarter of Aleppo’s old city, destroying the house and killing seven members of one family — including all four children. Pictured below, is the father trying to dig up his children from the rubble.


The day after Omran's picture went viral, journalists from around the world were demanding for more information about him and his family. But the doctors had moved on.

They were handling yet another influx from a bombing that morning, later posting new images. A boy lay on the floor, his legs missing. A woman in black put her hand to her mouth in anguish.

Another boy lay on a gurney, soaked in blood, as a clinician worked on him. A few minutes later it was reported that the boy had died. His name was Ibrahim Hadiri, and there was a new photograph of his face, eyes closed. It is not likely to go viral.

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