Awards

The entry submitted for the Rory Peck News award is a compilation of videos filmed by Belal al Sabbagh and Youssef Hassouna in Gaza between October 7th 2023 and June 2024 . Between them, Belal and Youssef filed more than 1000 videos in addition to scores of live broadcasts. Their videos highlight the intensity of the conflict, reflecting the human suffering and enormous destruction across the Palestinian territory. The video includes Youssef's live broadcast on the night of October 27th which captured massive Israeli bombardements, viewed from AFP's then-evacuated office in central Gaza.  

Belal left Gaza in April this year with his wife and infant daughter. Youssef remains. Along with his family, he has been displaced 10 times, he currently lives under a corrugated iron roof in a converted garage in Deir al Balah, central Gaza. 

Belal Bassam Al-Sabbagh, (33), started working in journalism at the beginning of 2010, parallel to his university studies in photography at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City. He worked for several local television channels and institutions until finally getting an opportunity to freelance with Agence France-Presse at the end of 2017. Since then, he has focused on giving his best to the agency. In September 2024, he was shortlisted for the prestigious  Bayeux Award for War Correspondents. He is married and has one daughter. 

Youssef Hassouna (47) has worked as a cameraman since 1995. His work (often via a production company) has been seen on many international news networks. He has also worked on regular programming such as drama shows, filmed in Gaza. He has freelanced for AFP since 2014, usually being called into action during periods of increased violence between Israel and the armed Palestinian factions. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023 he has been one of AFP's main freelance video journalists in Gaza. When not working as a cameraman, he has worked for a paper and printing company, and as a graphic designer. He is married and has six children. 

Based in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, Luckenson Jean is a one-person team: information gatherer, producer, safety consultant, cameraman, editor. He has an eye for strong visual stories and a heart for human suffering. 

Luckenson was born in 1990 and grew up in the countryside, where his family still lives, before moving to the southern town of Jacmel to study at the Cine Institute filmmaking school. After obtaining his degree he began working for a local TV station in Port-au-Prince before transitioning to freelance work and collaborating with UNICEF and AFPTV in 2020. 

Luckenson’s main focus is on breaking news, especially the ongoing crisis of violence and political instability in Haiti. He emphasises the human aspect of these events, documenting their impact on his fellow citizens. He films in camps for displaced people, at medical emergencies and around funerals – always looking for personal stories that show the despair of many Haitians. 

The working conditions for journalists in Haiti have deteriorated along with the safety conditions:  Luckenson has moved house for security reasons, and at the height of the violence he had to relocate and stay with friends when the barriers between neighbourhoods closed down after an attack. He pays a motorbike driver to whisk him to and from the scenes he needs to film, and he treads a fine line communicating with both the gangs and authorities to access information.  

The constant violence has taken a toll on his mental health, but he sees his work as a form of therapy. The hardest part is choosing who he interviews, and not being able to listen to everyone who comes to him, wanting to share their stories. 

Luckenson’s shortlisted video is made up of several edits sent to AFP’s hundreds of clients around the world since late February 2024, when Haiti was plunged into a crisis of violence as powerful and well-armed gangs went on a rampage in the capital Port-au-Prince, with the aim of overthrowing Ariel Henry, then the prime minister. 

The footage begins with the death of a Port-au-Prince resident, killed in the crossfire between gangs early one morning while trying to earn a living before taking his son to school. Luckenson’s images continue with daily depictions of the spiralling violence, showing police on the streets, terrified citizens fleeing for safety, and bodies lying in the streets. 

In early March, he managed - through a lot of legwork and contacts with police and gangs alike - to secure an exclusive interview with the famous gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, aka “Barbecue”, who vowed a “civil war” if Henry didn’t resign. The video was widely broadcast internationally. 

Luckenson’s aim of showing the impact of the crisis on everyday lives led him to collaborate with NGOs to gain access to gang-controlled territory. Here he visited medical clinics and interviewed patients who don’t otherwise have access to any kind of health care. He also filmed displaced citizens struggling to find shelter after their homes were destroyed or their families threatened. 

Luckenson closely followed political developments and the arrival of a Kenyan police force in late June, tasked with wresting the Caribbean nation from the grip of its gangs.  

Through this fraught period, Luckenson provided high-quality stories almost every day.