Aseel, Ibrahim, and their babies

Ibrahim, 27, is a photographer who works mainly for humanitarian organizations. He and his wife, Aseel, 25, have a 14-month-old daughter, Rose.

They were among the four families who kept video diaries for the first year of the war, for use in a BBC documentary, “One year of war in Gaza: Life, Death, and Hope.”

When we meet Aseel, she is overdue to deliver a second baby. The birth goes well and they name their new baby girl Hayat, which means life. “At a time when everything makes you feel hopeless, she is the one who can bring hope and meaning to our lives,” says Aseel.

But it’s a challenge to survive. There is so little food in the market that Aseel can’t breastfeed. She, Rose, and Hayat all get seriously ill and Hayat needs hospital care. When they arrive, they find the hospital is packed with patients and the staff is stretched to the breaking point. But all three recover.

Ibrahim has to leave his family in their tent while he returns to work as a photographer so he can earn money to support them. “Whenever I take pictures of the children killed in this war,” says Ibrahim, “I feel that they could be my family. I keep waiting to see if it’s them or not.”

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