2014’s Operation 'Protective Edge’ saw the first deployment of IDF combat photographers during an operation. With a camera in one hand and a rifle in the other, it was the first time in history that IDF soldiers took on the mission of telling the accurate visual story behind the Israeli-Gazan conflict- in order to share the truth about Hamas and its lies to the world. To mark seven years since the end of ‘Protective Edge’, here is the story of the combat photographers who served in the operation:
This week marks seven years to the end of Operation ‘Protective Edge’ - a seven-week-long IDF operation in response to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by the Hamas terror organization and intense rocket fire towards Israeli civilian areas. The main goal of the operation was to restore peace and quiet to the civilians of Israel, while also striking Hamas’ terror infrastructure and weakening other terrorist organizations in Gaza.
Knowing that the rest of the world will follow the operation closely, the IDF decided to take a historic step- to send its combat photographers to document the operation from the eyes of the troops, authentically and reliably.
“I drafted to the IDF in August, 2013, as part of the second recruitment of combat photographers to the IDF,” Says Barak Chen, a former combat photographer and one of the first to be sent to document an operation. “Only three months after we had finished our training, we were sent by the IDF to document an operation for the first time”.
A Sip of Breath״ - A blind woman found near a suspected tunnel entrance in Gaza. She is drinking water for the first time after a few days without. (Photograph by Barak Chen)
“There are a lot of military photographers,” Barak remarks, “photographers that go out to film wars and document operational events. But our mission was more than that - we were sent to capture moments that other photographers did not usually see. We needed to share Hamas’ lies with the world. To expose their exploitation and endangerment of the civilian population in Gaza, and their terrorist activities against the State of Israel. The visuals we were taking helped the IDF to explain how and why we do what we do.”
“On the Way to a Long Mission״ - The Paratroopers “Raven” Company searches for the three hostages in Operation “Brother's Keeper”.(Photograph by Barak Chen)
“I remember going through Gaza and photographing active landmines in schools and public buildings, and rocket launchers inside civilian houses. We were the only photographers there looking for those pictures - incriminating pictures. Those visuals were legal evidence which helped the IDF prove that it abided by international law.”
“UN’s Blue” - An IDF armored vehicle returning from a mission near a UN school. (Photograph by Barak Chen)
“We were educated that as photographers, our moral mission is to photograph the truth. We capture everything we see and we never stage a picture. You can never fabricate moments or situations that never happened. You film what you see, you capture the reality as it is, not as you may want it to be. I believe that thanks to this ethic we had, and continue to have, we are able to share the real story.”
The combat photographers of the IDF hold themselves to standards of honesty and accuracy. This is in stark contrast to the visuals and information which come from Hamas and other terrorist organizations, fabricated and staged to dishonestly gain public opinion and international support.
“No Way Out” - Rescuing an IDF armored vehicle stuck in a crowded area under a terrorist threat in Gaza. (Photograph by Barak Chen)
Today, there are 45 soldiers, both male and female, serving in the Combat Photography Company of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. The combat photographers are an integral part of the IDF’s ability to share the truth about the IDF and the State of Israel with the world.