Man Number 4

There’s something indisputably sinister about a photograph taken in Gaza in December 2023 and then shared on social media. But it’s difficult to say exactly why. Is it the combination of men in handcuffs kneeling on the ground and the soldiers lurking some distance away? Or is it the setting: an area of scraggly bushes and trees with a deserted apartment block in the background? Does the presence of lighting equipment and a photographer suggest the scene is staged? And what about the background role played by Dr. Khalid Hamoda, who has since disappeared without a trace?

Filmmaker Miranda Pennell deconstructs the photograph by zooming in on individual details. What are we actually looking at? As each piece of the puzzle is identified, the initially pixelated image becomes clearer. The camera gradually zooms out until we can see the entire picture.

We might have given this image just a cursory glance before scrolling on, but now we are faced with an inevitable question: Once you know what the photograph depicts, how can you, the observer, remain neutral?