NPR – Getting Too Close

National Public Radio photographer David Gilkey has been covering the Gaza conflict from Israel’s border town. He has had his equipment destroyed — and has suffered from tear gas exposure — while capturing protests and gunfire. Gilkey spoke with Corey Flintoff via telephone Tuesday, after returning from a reporting trip to Sderot.

Gilkey, above is biting on a towel  he’d been using to  get tear gas out of his face, eyes and mouth. “It burns your lips so you suck on a dry towel. It helps the stinging stop,” he told an NPR reporter.

Fighting tear gas is certainly less dangerous than his most recent coverage of kids throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers.

“So, I had just walked down there and I found a spot that seemed reasonably out of the way, and I heard “Boom! Boom! Boom!” on the metal wall that I was sort of up against, and then my camera flew out of my hand, and I looked down and — there’s a hole in it! [laughs] And that was the end of my day.” – Gilkey”So, I had just walked down there and I found a spot that seemed reasonably out of the way, and I heard “Boom! Boom! Boom!” on the metal wall that I was sort of up against, and then my camera flew out of my hand, and I looked down and — there’s a hole in it! [laughs] And that was the end of my day.” – Gilkey

He certainly met the Capa criteria.