Updated on Oct. 27, 2023 at 4:15 p.m.
When it was first published in 2013, Tanya Habjouqa‘s groundbreaking series Occupied Pleasures forced us to see one of the most photographed corners of the world in an entirely different light. It captured how longstanding occupation creates the strongest of desires for the smallest moments of happiness.
Fast-forward ten years, and the occupation has now given way to all-out war. As Israel increases airstrikes and on-the-ground raids on Gaza, in retaliation for the October 7 attack by Hamas, Habjouqa’s portrayal of joy and defiance in the face of adversity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, takes on yet another, even more poignant meaning.
Her Occupied Pleasures series — which focuses on the incursion of violence and tragedy upon the most mundane of moments for the four million Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem — went on to garner international recognition, including a World Press Photo award.
Even as the Israel-Hamas war unfolds, Tanya Habjouqa continues to document life and the consequences of the attacks, both in Israel and in the West Bank, illustrating articles for NPR.
Three years ago, she provided commentary on a selection of five images from the series, which OneShot included in the following Cinq video:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/tJNX5GX9IIw expand=1]
Occupied Pleasures – CINQ – (Tanya Habjouqa/NOOR) | OneShot
OneShot is a Worldcrunch digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video.