Gaza, Twitter, and the worst picture I've ever seen

CONFLICT around the world is not new - and conflict in the Gaza Strip certainly isn't. But the way it is being recorded and broadcast is changing.

PrayForGaza: A hashtag many have used to share information about the conflict

The most recent bouts of fighting in Gaza have been documented in shockingly graphic detail by the people who live there, and the pictures can now be seen on Twitter and elsewhere by anyone.

This hasn't happened before, mostly because there are some things the mainstream media simply cannot, or will not, show. 

A young boy says good bay for his father in Gaza this morning... #GazaUnderAttack #PrayForGaza pic.twitter.com/wHqcWatn7i
— فلسطين i (@iFalasteen) July 19, 2014

Images and words can be deemed too shocking, and editorial standards simply won't allow for the publication of pictures thought to be too graphic or distressing. 

This image, for example, has not to my knowledge been distributed by any mainstream media outlet. 

Israel kills most dangerous terrorist #PrayForGaza #Palestine #IsraelUnderFire #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/QQaiB70JjI
— ماجد القشعمي#GAZA (@_majed_q) July 11, 2014

It is, I think, the most disturbing I've ever seen. I really can't imagine anything worse. It is a brutal encapsulation of everything that is horrific about war, and I challenge anyone to look at it and not have an intensely emotional reaction.

Now, I can understand why editors would decide not show this picture to their viewers or readers. But I believe they are wrong to withhold it, and others like it.

Pregnant Palestinian woman gets shot, gives birth to child who was also shot. #PrayForGaza #PrayForPalestine pic.twitter.com/dYoBJpTQOJ
— كاشف Kash (@_wizkid_) July 11, 2014

I think it's important the world sees these awful things so they can better understand what really happens when an army drops bombs on civilian populations. Censored pictures and expert analysis simply do not have the same impact.

I should be clear here that I'm not trying to make any kind of political statement about who is right and who is wrong in this conflict. I'm not qualified to do that, and you can all make your own minds up.

His dead little brother in his arms. #PrayForGaza pic.twitter.com/btI9omlSuV
— Mina (@mina_ysf) July 19, 2014

But the politics is beside the point. All I want to highlight here is the fact that uncensored social networks have given us a new window into the true horrors of this war. And I hope that this increased global awareness will help to stop it.

this makes me want to be physically sick so so cruel cannot process the complete inhumanity wow #PrayForGaza pic.twitter.com/eb3mK1ja3j
— icks (@cadburyhxrry) July 13, 2014

I should also point out that the pictures featured here haven't been verified by mainstream media outlets, so their origin and authenticity are undoubtedly less certain than others. But the sheer number of them would indicate that at least some will be genuine, if not all.

don't cry, baby. don't cry. #PrayForGaza pic.twitter.com/OUuenKXizW
— Lucaspeebo. (@Lucaspeebo) July 13, 2014

Either way, the impact remains the same.

We all now have the resources to educate ourselves far beyond what we see on BBC News at Ten - and we all have a responsibility to use them.

✨ Surely with hardship comes ease. QUR'AN 95:5 ✨ #PrayForGaza #FreePalestineOrDieTrying pic.twitter.com/xLsLnqkg5c
— Linda لو لو (@falasteenager) July 12, 2014

For more info, search: #PrayForGaza, #GazaUnderAttack, #IsraelUnderFire