After leaving Gaza, a Pulitzer-winning photographer adjusts to starting anew in Canada with his family

// custom header art window.tgam.meta.photo_desktop = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-001-H2.jpg"; window.tgam.meta.photo_mobile = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-001-s.jpg"; // editable custom header parameters window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position_desktop = "top"; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_horizontal_position_desktop = "left"; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position_mobile = "top"; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient = true; window.tgam.meta.centre_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.large_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour = "#a00f19"; window.tgam.meta.banner_overlay_gradient = false; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient_opacity = ""; // editable custom header display overrides window.tgam.meta.display_head = "A Palestinian photographer’s perseverance"; window.tgam.meta.display_deck = "After leaving Gaza, Pulitzer-winning photographer Ahmed Zakot adjusts to starting anew in Canada with his family"; window.tgam.meta.label = ""; window.tgam.meta.byline = "Photography and story by Ahmed Zakot "; window.tgam.meta.byline2 = "as told to Christina Frangou"; window.tgam.meta.creditline = "Special to The Globe and Mail"; // non-editable custom header parameters - PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay = true; window.tgam.meta.two_column = false; window.tgam.meta.swap_column = false; window.tgam.meta.full_width = true; window.tgam.meta.narrow_width = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background = true; window.tgam.meta.dark_background_colour = "#0a0a0a"; window.tgam.meta.sans_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour_overlay = "" ; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour_overlay = "#a00f19"; window.tgam.meta.audio_bar = false; window.tgam.meta.banner = true; window.tgam.meta.banner_border = false; window.tgam.meta.banner_overlay_dark = false; window.tgam.meta.caption_background_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.caption_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.full_height = true; // gi lazy images window.lazySizesConfig = window.lazySizesConfig || {}; Object.assign(window.lazySizesConfig, { lazyClass: "gi-lazyimage", loadedClass: "gi-lazyimage--loaded", loadingClass: "gi-lazyimage--loading", preloadClass: "gi-lazyimage--preload", errorClass: "gi-lazyimage--error", autosizesClass: "gi-lazyimage--autosizes", expand: 1000 }); const gi_content = ` series: false [content] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] To an outsider, my life in Calgary looks quite ordinary. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-054-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-054-l.jpg caption-1: From left, daughter Lillas, wife Amady, and son Mohammed play at a park in Calgary's Mahogany neighbourhood. credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-055-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-055-l.jpg caption-2: Ahmed with son Eyas and daughter Lillas at the Calgary Public Library. credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] My wife and I take the kids to the library. We go to the park. We help them with homework. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-003-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-003-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-003-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 4-5 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] For me, these moments are anything but ordinary. There is a kind of happiness that comes with watching your kids grow up in a safe and beautiful country. But it is also mixed with sadness. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-004-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-004-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-004-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/audio/Ahmed_1b.mp3 audio-description: Hear insight from Ahmed Zakot throughout the story [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-005-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-005-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-005-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-006-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-006-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-007-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-007-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** chapter break ****** :endskip [.slide] type: chapter label: title: Gaza fullscreen-desktop: false [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] I moved to Gaza from Saudi Arabia in 1992 when I was seven years old. My family found ourselves living with a population that had been under occupation. It was difficult at first. But we have a saying in our society: If you live 40 days with people, you will become one of them. I became Gazan. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-008-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-008-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-008-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] Growing up, I saw many journalists working in Gaza. I, too, wanted to carry a camera and document life. My father couldn’t afford to send me abroad for school. So I studied journalism at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City. [] [.+paragraphs] For many years, I worked for Reuters. I chased bombs and rockets, taking photos around Gaza. I saw hard things: funerals and people suffering. But I always felt like I wasn’t telling the full story of this place. I wanted to show the world the beauty of Gaza, and the special relationship Gazans have with this place. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-009-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-009-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-010-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-010-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-011-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-011-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-011-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] We have a seaport. We enjoyed the beach, the sunset, the greens — what you call farmland. We have mosques more than 1,000 years old. So I became a freelance journalist and started to focus more on the beauty of this region. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-012-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-012-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-013-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-013-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-014-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-014-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-014-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/audio/Ahmed_2b.mp3 audio-description: Listen to audio [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-015-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-015-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-015-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] By 2023, I was living in Gaza City with my wife Amany and our three kids. We lived in a traditional way, in a big house with my extended family. [] [] [] :skip ****** chapter break ****** :endskip [.slide] type: chapter label: title: October 7, 2023 fullscreen-desktop: false [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] On Oct. 7, I woke early and went to the mosque, then came home to rest. Around 6:30 a.m., I got up to wake the kids for school. That’s when I heard bombs. Bombs are not unusual — Hamas usually does drills in the early morning. But then I heard the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system. I knew this was not a drill. I woke Amany and said we are in a war now. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-021-s2.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-021-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-021-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 9-16 desktop-aspect-ratio: 16-9 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] I picked up my camera and went to the roof to take photos. I sent my pictures to Reuters, hugged my wife and kids and told them to go to my parents’ apartment. Then I got in a taxi and went north. [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] When we reached Beit Lahiya city, I saw an Israeli military vehicle coming towards me — but then I realized that it was being driven by Hamas gunmen. People were shouting slogans, saying “Allahu Akbar” and raising victory signs. I got out of the taxi and took photos. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-025-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-025-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-025-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/audio/Ahmed_5b.mp3 audio-description: Listen to audio [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-026-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-026-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-027-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-027-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] I returned to Gaza City. Six days in, we got a notice that all civilians in the north of Gaza had to evacuate to the south. I called my family and told them to put important documents and some clothes in bags because we had to leave. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-028-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-028-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-028-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] My cousin and a friend came and got my family, and drove them south. My family settled into my grandfather’s place in Khan Yunis. Not counting me, they were 16 people in one apartment. [] [.+paragraphs] I kept working. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-029-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-029-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-030-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-030-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-031-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-031-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-033-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-033-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] On Dec. 2, the Israelis targeted a house near my grandfather’s place. I was working out of Nasser Hospital and I heard the explosion from there. I called Amany. She was screaming. Two of our kids were hit by glass and shrapnel; it made holes in their hands. With a friend, I picked them up and took them to the hospital. I told my family, you have to leave. The danger is everywhere. You have to go to a patch of undeveloped land that my family owns in the west, I told them. My parents objected, saying they couldn’t live in the desert. But I said that we have to. We have to save our lives. We went and we built tents to live in. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-035-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-035-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-035-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] No one can understand this life except a person who has lived it: no clean water, no food, just trees and cold wind. I went back to the hospital to work and my wife kept telling me to come back; we need you, she told me. I told her that this is my job. I’m a freelance journalist. If I don’t work, I will not bring in money. We will not be able to feed the kids. It was a very bad situation. I can’t repeat some of the things I heard my children say in those weeks. I can’t bear to think of it. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-037-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-037-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-037-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** video ****** :endskip [.slide] type: video video: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/tankloopv5.mp4 fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/audio/Ahmed_3b.mp3 audio-description: Listen to audio [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] We wanted to leave Gaza. But how? We didn’t have money. One tourism company could assist with crossing into Egypt, but we’d need at least $65,000 USD to leave. It seemed impossible. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-039-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-039-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-040-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-040-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] But in December, the Canadian government announced a temporary residence visa program for Gazans with Canadian family ties. I had a brother in Calgary; he raised the funds through a GoFundMe, and I had to send him all our documents to apply. I would go up to the sixth floor of the hospital, and use an eSim from my brother to try to send the documents without losing the connection. I did this 10 or even 12 times a day. Go up the stairs. Send documents. Wait. Come down. It took every day for, maybe, two weeks. We have 17 family members, each with their own documents. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-041-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-041-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-041-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] Those were terrible times. In January, I covered funerals at the hospital. Workers could not take bodies to the cemetery because of Israeli tanks. They buried people in the garden. I went to my family and rested for a few days. I could barely pick up my camera. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-034-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-034-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-042-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-042-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] In March, we went to the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt. Every day, an Egyptian tourism company would post on the internet 300 names of people whose paperwork had been processed. My wife's and kids’ names came up before my parents’ and mine. I had to convince them to go ahead. I watched them walk through the crossing and leave for Egypt. That was the worst moment. I followed a month later. [] [] [] :skip ****** chapter break ****** :endskip [.slide] type: chapter label: title: Canada fullscreen-desktop: false [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] When we finally landed in Calgary, it was the first time I’d seen my brother in seven years. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-043-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-043-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-043-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] I started to feel better when he took us to Lake Louise two weeks later. No one can know how it feels to see this beauty when you have come from Gaza. It is like treatment for our souls. [] [.+paragraphs] My kids were hilarious — they were laughing so hard. They’d only seen these beautiful scenes in movies. I was sad that I couldn’t have taken them earlier to see these things. At the same time, I kept thanking Allah that we came to this safe place. It’s a huge feeling when you see your kids and wife happy. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-044-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-044-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-044-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] Now, we are trying all the new experiences because in Gaza, we were in a jail. [] [] [] :skip ****** diptych ****** :endskip [.slide] type: diptych fullscreen-mobile: true fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 3-2 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 map: [.diptych] photo-1-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-049-s.jpg photo-1-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-049-l.jpg caption-1: credit-1: audio-1: audio-1-description: photo-2-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-053-s.jpg photo-2-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-053-l.jpg caption-2: credit-2: audio-2: audio-2-description: [] [.text] [.+paragraphs] We saw people playing hockey at the YMCA and we watched. We didn’t know who was playing, but it was so exciting! [] [.+paragraphs] I work part-time for a printer shop. I’ve done some work taking photos for a college. But I need more. I still want to work as a photographer. [] [] [] :skip ****** standalone text ****** :endskip [.slide] type: text [.text] [.+paragraphs] As I was leaving Gaza, I found out that I was part of the Reuters team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography — for my photos that first morning. (I was supposed to fly to the United States with my family to receive the Pulitzer in person, but my visa did not arrive in time.) [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-051-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-051-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-051-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: true mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: audio-description: [.text] [.+paragraphs] I want to see my kids get bigger and become doctors and engineers. Each of them has their dream. My dream is to see my kids grow up in peace and that, one day, my country will be in peace. [] [] [] :skip ****** photo ****** :endskip [.slide] type: photo photo-sm: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-052-s.jpg photo-lg: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-052-l.jpg photo-xl: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-052-xl.jpg fullscreen-mobile: false fullscreen-desktop: false mobile-aspect-ratio: 2-3 desktop-aspect-ratio: 3-2 caption: credit: audio: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/audio/Ahmed_4.mp3 audio-description: Listen to audio [.text] [.+paragraphs] [] [] [] :skip ****** photographer bio ****** :endskip [.slide] type: bio label: About the photographer photo: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/files/interactive/canada/features/photo-popup/stories/AhmedZakot/resized/ZAKOT-bio.jpg photo-credit: bio: Ahmed Zakot is a visual journalist from the Gaza Strip who was part of a team that received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. He has nearly 25 years experience in photography and videography, mostly with Thomson Reuters, and his accolades include a Lucie Award and Picture of the Year Asia. He currently resides in Calgary. [] :skip ****** credits ****** :endskip [.slide] type: credits [.+credits] Photography and story by Ahmed Zakot as told to Christina Frangou Editing by Lisan Jutras Photo editing by Solana Cain Visuals editing by Liz Sullivan Digital presentation by Mackenzie Lad Audio and video editing by Timothy Moore Interactive design and development by Christopher Manza [] [] [] `; !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r