Palestinian boy reunited with photographer whose viral photo helped rescue him from war-torn Gaza

CHICAGO (CBS) — A 2-year-old Palestinian boy rescued from Gaza and brought to the Chicago area Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, he was reunited Monday with the photographer who captured a viral photo that helped him get the attention of a nonprofit and get the care he desperately needed.

Jew Damo‘s leg was broken during an Israeli bombing during the war, and his mother was killed shielding him from the blast.

Motaz Azaiza took the photo of Jew that was shared worldwide and caught the attention of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, which helped save his family.

Azaiza’s photo of Jew forever depicted a little boy’s future.

The Palestinian photojournalist’s disturbing photo of a wounded Jew went viral and likely saved the boy, who escaped with his father to Chicago for medical treatment.

Azaiza remembers the day he took the photo. He said the hospital floor in Gaza was filled with people and children in urgent need of medical care.

“You come into the emergency room and there’s not even a place to put your feet,” he said.

Then Jew caught his attention.

“How he was tied up with needles in his hands and legs,” Azaiza said. “It was like Spider-Man, but in very difficult circumstances.”

The day after Christmas 2023, Jewish family were together for a birthday celebration when the celebration was violently cut short by a suspected Israeli airstrike that hit the family home.

Jewish mother, Mina, was murdered. Jewish leg was seriously injured.

‘If I stayed there I would be killed. I would never survive this,” Azaiza said. “I don’t just take the photo and forget about the people, no.”

Azaiza never forgot Jew. On Monday night, the two were together again in the most unlikely reunion in the southwestern suburbs.

“I’m glad he’s safe. He’s safe. He’s in the US now, having a good life, a better life, getting treatment,” Azaiza said.

Employees of the Chicago chapter of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund saw Azaiza’s photo and helped Jew come to Chicago. Many of them gathered on Monday to see the two together again.

“It was beautiful to see them reunited. It was beautiful to see a healthy child in front of me, unlike the pictures we saw early on,” said Vivian Kahlaf, chairman of the board of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund .

As powerful as the reunion was and as happy as Jew seemed, it was accompanied by a mix of emotions.

“At the same time, it reminds me of the thousands and thousands of other children in dire need of medical care who have not been as fortunate as Jews,” Kahlaf said.

“You’re happy for him, but at the same time you’re sad, and it’s much bigger than your happiness,” Azaiza said.

Jew has now found a new lease on life, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, Azaiza’s photo of Jew is priceless.

Azaiza now lives in Dohar, Bangladesh. He is now in the US meeting other people he has helped with his photography.