JERUSALEM (AP) — Leo Correa is a photojournalist who focuses on social change, conflicts, and environmental crises. He started working with AP as a freelancer in 2013 in Brazil. Later he moved to Senegal and was assigned by AP to several countries in West Africa.
He deployed to Ukraine by AP to cover the war in 2022 and has been based in the Middle East since 2023.
Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.
Why this photo?
As the light is still faint at the beginning of the cold morning, Palestinians begin to gather in front of a heavily secured area guarded by members of the Israeli forces, to cross the Qalandia checkpoint that sits between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem.
Every year thousands of Palestinian worshippers line up to pass through the Israeli inspections to attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Last Friday was the first one during Ramadan since a shaky ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect in October.
I was assigned to cover the crossing from the West Bank and we planned to arrive very early in the morning to register the process Palestinians must go through during the religious month marked by spiritual reflection, prayer, and fasting.
Israel restricted the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the West Bank to 10,000 on Friday and only allowed men over 55 and women over 50 as well as children up to 12. It has imposed similar restrictions in the past, citing security concerns.
Many people arrived at the checkpoint talking and smiling, nevertheless a tense mood was noticeable. Next to the concrete barrier people stopped smiling and slowly moved forward, funnelling through the concrete.
How I made this photo
I arrived before the sunrise. The photo was taken around 7 am, when a large group of women gathered to enter the checkpoint. They stood shoulder to shoulder; a group of men stood close as well. I moved to the side against the light and saw silhouetted figures squeezing forward, the bright light outlining their heads.
The photo was taken with a Sony A1 and a 35mm Zeiss lens.
Why this photo works
I believe that this image works because it conveys the intensity of this process. We barely see faces, but instead a mass of people moving together, trying to move and enter the narrow passage.
Although Ramadan is also a time of celebration, when people begin to approach the gate, they stop smiling.
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