Heidi Levine’s war photos from Gaza keep a colleague’s memory alive

Israel's Gaza offensive during the summer of 2014 left the small territory shattered: more than 2,000 people dead, and UN officials estimate that 96,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Freelance photographer Heidi Levine covered the war, and her stunning photos of the conflict recently won her the first-ever Anja Neidringhaus Award for courage in photojournalism. The award was named after AP photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed while on assignment in Afghanistan in 2014.

(See some of Niedringhaus' photography here.)

The judging committee praised Levine for "facing the same dangers as her subjects in a war zone, with rocket fire and air strikes a consistent reminder." Her photographs take you right to the front of the violence and devastation in a way only a photographer can.

Levine is an American photojournalist who lives in Israel. She has covered the revolutions in Egypt, Libya and Syria along with the plight of Iraqi refugees living in Jordan, Syria, and Sweden.

She has also raised three children in the Middle East, which the award committee pointed out in its statement. "Unlike many journalists who can cover a story and get on a plane to the safety of their own homeland, she is an integral part of the community and has shown profound concern for people," they wrote.

In accepting the award, Levine reflected on Neidringhaus' legacy for both photojournalists and women in media.

“Anja was both a photojournalist and a person I admired, respected, and often consulted with in the field under extreme circumstances," Levine told the International Women's Media Foundation, which gave out the award. "There was an incredible professional bond and sense of trust, a sisterhood so many of us felt, and she is greatly missed by us all.”