The Story of Gazan Photographer Ibrahim Esam Shared at The Hague Humanity Hub

22 October 2026

On 22 October, Fayez Fawzi and his friend Rudi Robot travelled from Belgium to The Hague to share the story of Gazan photographer and filmmaker Ibrahim Esam at a community event at The Hague Humanity Hub. Fayez is Ibrahim’s brother-in-law.

The featured image shows Ibrahim at the exhibition held with the Anna Lindh Foundation in June and July 2026.

Fayez and Rudi explained that Imam Salima Essakkati of the Jewish-Islamic Friends Circle, a member of our Dutch network, had invited Ibrahim to the Netherlands through the ALF in Motion programme. The entire family is artistically talented and could be described as the “Gazan von Trapp family”—a reference to the Austrian family of singers who fled to Italy in 1938 following Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria.

Ibrahim and his family live in appalling conditions amid the ruins of Gaza. Nevertheless, he continues to advocate dialogue with Jewish Israelis. Both Ibrahim and Imam Salima strongly oppose Hamas. They believe that the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza, precipitated the catastrophe Palestinians have endured since then.

Ibrahim Esam’s photographs

Below are exhibition posters with Ibrahim Esam’s photographs from Gaza, together with his own captions and statement. The posters cover themes such as displacement, children, and life by the sea. Click a poster to see all pages in full size.