Manoocher, wounded photojournalist (9 images)

MANOOCHER DEGHATI worked as a war photographer during ten years for Sipa, then for AFP. He covered conflicts in Central America, Africa, Bosnia, before being named chief photographer at the AFP Jerusalem bureau. On September 21st, 1996, Manoocher was covering the third day of street battle in Ramallah between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians. The unrest was prompted by Israel's surprise reopening of an ancient tunnel in Jerusalem's Old City, shortly after Netanyahu's election. On that day...
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MANOOCHER DEGHATI worked as a war photographer during ten years for Sipa, then for AFP. He covered conflicts in Central America, Africa, Bosnia, before being named chief photographer at the AFP Jerusalem bureau. On September 21st, 1996, Manoocher was covering the third day of street battle in Ramallah between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians. The unrest was prompted by Israel's surprise reopening of an ancient tunnel in Jerusalem's Old City, shortly after Netanyahu's election. On that day the Palestinian forces responded to live firing by Israeli forces. On that day an Israeli soldier aimed at Manoocher with a 12.7 gauge gun, exploding his tibia in over 30 pieces. During these three days of rioting 80 people died and 1,500 were wounded. Among them, 12 news cameramen and photographers. Manoocher was lucky to survive the shooting and to keep his leg. He was operated on for eight hours by the best Israeli surgeons in Jerusalem and transferred the following month to the Invalides Military Hospital in Paris. After two years of physical therapy and two other operations, Manoocher was able to leave the hospital and pursue his therapy with a private practitioner. Manoocher used his time spent at the Invalides to cover another side of war: the struggle of the wounded. In a place where WWI and Bosnian war veterans coexist, Manoocher was accepted by all and was able to capture a wide range of life stories and emotions -all from his wheelchair.
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