Globe and Mail photographers Goran Tomasevic and Siegfried Modola, accompanied by their translator, struck out on Monday to reach Maaysrah, a Shia Muslim-majority village in a predominantly Christian mountainous area, about a 45-minute drive north of Beirut.
On Saturday afternoon, an Israeli strike had reportedly killed 17 people there, including women and children. The journalists were told by residents that burials were being held in Maaysrah for 12 of the victims. Five were taken to their homesteads in Beirut.
After the prayers, the bodies were laid outside the mosque, with a procession led by several imams and a Maronite priest – some of whom made religious speeches to the crowd gathered and the mourning family members.
The procession carried the coffins to the burial site, where the bodies were laid to rest in a simple grave, in close proximity, in accordance with Islamic traditions. The Globe journalists saw 10 bodies being buried.
In recent days Israel has been drastically expanding its bombardment across Lebanon.
Many families are mourning loved ones who have been caught in the violence and many are suspicious of foreigners and journalists. This is why it is important that journalists move cautiously and with respect for the people who are most affected by the war.
When the Globe journalists arrived at the funeral they introduced themselves to the local authorities and showed their accreditations. They started reporting on the story and taking pictures only once they explained that they were journalists and received approval from the victims’ families.
The burials in Maaysrah are among hundreds that Lebanon has seen since last October's outbreak of war in Gaza, where Israeli air strikes and a worsening humanitarian crisis have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.Siegfried Modola/The Globe and Mail