The Tenderness
of the World
Deserves Witnesses

My main concern is to witness a story in order to reach, through my images, the observer who very often is outside the facts and located miles away. This picture was taken in 2016 in Libya, during the great battle between the troops of Misrata and ISIS jihadists in the city of Sirte. I spent almost four months with the military of Misrata on the frontline. I slept, ate, and escaped danger with them.

During this war, there was a great advance and by now the jihadists were surrounded by all the fronts. Each advance occupied a new position, and we settled in the houses occupied by them shortly before - sometimes filled with explosives and traps. Sometimes, children’s toys were also explosives and traps. One day, while I was walking around the camp, I found this stuffed bear perched on a tank. Obviously, the contrast was very strong, but what I really saw was a search for humanity by the soldiers, which often the war tries to snatch from you. Being a photojournalist is a profession that also leads you to reflect in your emotional and personal sphere. Documenting a historical event is a job, but I often take pictures that you just keep for yourself. This is one of them.