Black smoke from burning tires covers the sky as Palestinian protesters hurl stones toward Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Khalil Hamra is a Palestinian photojournalist based in the Gaza Strip for the Associated Press. He joined AP in 2002, and has since received more than 25 awards by covering the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the top stories across the Middle East. In 2009 Hamra was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal by the Overseas Press Club of America for a series covering the war in Gaza. Between 2011 and 2014, Hamra documented the Egyptian Revolution, Sudan’s conflict and the Syrian War. In 2013 Hamra was part of the AP team that won Pulitzer Prize (breaking news) for the work in Syria. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Journalism.
Quick links to POY Asia 2021 Judges: Khalil Hamra / Shiho Fukada / Anshika Varma / Bryan van der Beek / Suejin Shin / Jiro Ose / Rena Effendi / Abir Abdullah / Nariman Ayman El-Mofty / Wonsuk Choi
In this Friday, Aug. 8, 2014 photo, Palestinians attend Friday noon prayer beneath the fallen minaret of the Soussi mosque that was hit by Israeli strikes in Gaza City. Israel has hit and destroyed 63 mosques in Gaza in its month-old war with Hamas, Palestinian officials say. The reason, Israel says, is that Hamas is using mosques to stockpile weapons and rocket launchers and hide tunnels. Gaza’s Hamas rulers deny the accusations. But in its determination to go after what it says are militant arsenals, Israel is throwing aside any reluctance it had in the past to hit religious sites for fear of a diplomatic backlash. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
"A good picture to me is one that takes me to its full story and that is not based on a specific rule. Each picture has its own magic but the better one contains more convincing effort by the photographer."
Khalil Hamra
A Palestinian refugee woman holds her baby as she stands in front of her house in Geziret Fadel, about 150 km east of Cairo. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Palestinians play volleyball on the beach as the sun sets over Gaza City, Thursday, July, 13, 2017. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
A man rides a horse while others swim on the beach of Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
In this Saturday, July 31, 2016 photo, Palestinian groom Saed Abu Aser, and his pride, Falasteen, walk into the wedding hall amid smoke from fireworks, in Gaza City. Weddings in Gaza have emerged as a welcome celebration that slices through the often morose existence in the Gaza Strip. The coastal territory has been beaten down by three wars with Israel over the last decade and a stifling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
