Brave witness: Tom Hurndall’s The Only House Left Standing – in pictures

Peace activist and aspiring photojournalist Tom Hurndall died in 2004, aged 22, after being shot by an Israeli soldier. His words and images bear witness to events he saw while living in Iraq, Jordan and the Gaza Strip. The Only House Left Standing: The Middle East Journals of Tom Hurndall is published this week
  
  


Tom Hurndall : Arab Tower Hotel, Amman
19 March 2003. Arab Tower Hotel, Amman. George Bush declares invasion of Iraq.
'We watched avidly at 3am last night as Bush gave his ultimatum to Baghdad. It was one of those defining moments I will never forget … wondering if I would be on the receiving end of the ferocious might he said would come to bear on the region …. I felt as if I could hear all the collective screams of the wounded and dying as a result of those quiet, serene words he uttered with such intended deliberation…. I had to hold back the tears' Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : Al-Rweished Refugee Camp, Jordan.
30 March 2003. Al-Rweished Refugee Camp, Jordan Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : Tom plays football with children
30 March 2003. Tom plays football with children at the Al-Rweished Refugee Camp, Jordan Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : Graffiti commemorating Rachel Corrie
6 April 2003. Graffiti commemorating Rachel Corrie, the US peace worker killed just weeks before, Rafah, Gaza Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : International Solidarity Movement protester
6 April 2003. An ISM (International Solidarity Movement) protester confronts a bulldozer at an anti-home demolition protest, Rafah. 'As for the Israeli soldiers, they are all jokers until you realise they they don't care much if they kill you. Maybe I'd get on with them a bit better if I'd met them somewhere else' Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : the streets of Rafah
6 April 2003. A bulldozer moves through rubble amongst the streets of Rafah. 'On turning the corner, I saw a dead-end about 300m away and people hiding in doorways and peering out of alleys, but after a few seconds I realised it wasn’t a dead-end because the end house moved. I’d heard that D-9 bulldozers were big, but this was huge. It towered up like a lookout tower or airport control tower, with a thick sheet of metal in front of it that would reach up above my hand with a couple of feet to spare' Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : wo boys in the Brazilian area of central Rafah
7 April 2003. Two boys in the Brazilian area of central Rafah. Soon after, the boy on the left was shot in the shoulder after throwing stones at an IDF tank nearby.
'The tank’s fire was indiscriminate to the extent that I was almost hit in the aftermath despite clearly wearing an internationally-recognised jumper with "TV" written on it' Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : Boy at an anti-war protest, Rafah
7 April 2003. Boy at an anti-war protest, Rafah Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : Israeli Defence Force tank
10 April 2003. Israeli Defence Force tank on patrol in Rafah, with Mediterranean in distance Photograph: Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall : The house of Dr. Samir, Rafah
10 April 2003. The house of Dr Samir, Rafah. Tom and Rachel Corrie both stayed here. Situated on the edge of the demolition zone it was as Tom described it: 'The only house left standing' Photograph: Tom Hurndall
 

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