Murat Şengül

Photojournalist

Biography 

Murat Şengül (b. 1987) is a photojournalist from Istanbul, Turkey. He started his photojournalism career in 2008 while studying at Marmara University Faculty of Journalism in Istanbul. 

Şengül has covered major international events, including the early years of the Syrian war and the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime, the genocide in Myanmar, the internal conflicts in Yemen, and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. He has also documented significant social events and disasters in Turkey, such as the Gezi Park protests, the attempted coup, the 2023 earthquake, the Van earthquake, and widespread forest fires.

His work has been published in leading global newspapers and magazines, earning him numerous national and international awards. In 2024, Şengül won first place in the Picture of the Year (POY) National and International News Picture Story category. Additionally, he received gold and bronze medals at the Tokyo Photo Awards in 2023 and 2024.

He is currently working as a permanent photojournalist at Anadolu Agency.

Photo: Drone Attacks in Beirut

Cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah – ongoing since the outbreak of the war in Gaza – escalated sharply in September 2024.  Israel announced a new goal to eliminate the militant group, first launching airstrikes into southern Lebanon, and later a ground offensive. Beirut, initially a refuge for those fleeing airstrikes in southern Lebanon, itself came under fire as attacks spread northwards. From 27 September, Israel targeted buildings, including apartment blocks in Dahiyeh, saying that Hezbollah was headquartered in the densely populated suburb.