Türkiye’s communications director praises Anadolu’s coverage of Gaza war

By Zehra Nur Duz

Türkiye's communications director hailed leading Turkish international news agency Anadolu on Tuesday for its coverage of the war in Gaza.

"Despite all of Israel's obstacles today, Anadolu continues to showcase and will continue to exhibit a magnificent journalism performance in Gaza City," said Fahrettin Altun, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Istanbul Photo Awards exhibition in the capital Ankara.

Altun stressed the crucial importance of Anadolu’s efforts in conveying the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine War, and most recently, Israel’s aggression against Gaza.

He recalled that Anadolu cameraman Montaser Al-Sawaf lost his life during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf was violently assaulted by Israeli soldiers, and photojournalist Ali Jadallah lost his entire family in Israel's attacks.

"What did these heroes, these competent members of Anadolu do? They practiced journalism. They chased after news, truth and reality. While doing so, they made the voice of the oppressed Gaza people heard to the whole world and also made the oppression of Israel known to the entire world," he added.

The Istanbul Photo Awards 2023 exhibition kicked off on Tuesday.

The 12-day event, organized by Anadolu, opened at Ankara's Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Ada Ankara concert hall.

Organized with the support of Nikon Türkiye, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Turkish Airlines, the international news photography competition presented awards across 10 categories in this year's edition after the jury made its selection among 21,000 photo submissions.

The coveted Photo of the Year award went to Sergey Kozlov, a photographer from the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), for his work titled Ukraine-Russia War, as recognized by the international jury.

The exhibition, supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, will be open to visitors until Dec. 30.