“Two weeks ago, a group of photographers from the Associated Press took first prize in the Pictures of the Year competition, run by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism, in the Team Picture Story of the Year category for 20 photos of the Israel-Hamas war. The featured photo is of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli civilian. She is lying facedown in a truck bed, partly naked and most likely dead, being driven through the streets of Gaza in the hours after the Oct. 7 massacre at the Nova festival. The men in the back of the truck brandish machine guns and grenade launchers. One of them casually drapes his leg over Louk’s exposed torso while another looks straight at the camera and points emphatically at her.

What are we to make of the choice to recognize this photo with an award? On the one hand, the image reflects the way much of the left has viewed Israeli victims following Oct. 7—disposed of, expendable, taken away, gone. On the other hand, it captures the paradox that has allowed Hamas supporters to simultaneously deny that atrocities against women took place on Oct. 7 while celebrating them in real time. Ultimately, the choice to center and honor this image also perfectly captures the intersection of antisemitism and misogyny, as well as the way elements of the left and Hamas are joined in their shared antipathy toward Jews.”

Read the full article on Slate here.