Tramadol

This reportage is focused on one of the consequences of living in a situation of extreme tension every day in Gaza, Palestine. Following the December 2008 Israeli offensive, “Operation Cast Lead”, there was an increase in risk-taking behavior, including a significant rise in cases of drug addiction. The most common drug at the moment is Tramadol, an opioid painkiller medication which is used to treat moderate to severe pain and it arrived in Gaza during the war in 2008. Addicts take this drug to withstand the pressure of daily life and to feel more alive and happy, but long-term use can cause depression and anxiety. Users also face the risk of heart disease and kidney failure, and every day the number of deaths linked to tramadol abuse increases. There is a wide illegal market for it, in Gaza, that reach the place through the tunnels and the sea.

Antonio Faccilongo is an Italian documentary photographer based in Rome. After graduating in communication sciences, and then obtaining a masters in photojournalism, he focused his attention on Asia and the Middle East, principally in Israel and Palestine, covering social, political and cultural issues. Documenting the aftermath of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in West Bank and Gaza Strip, he sought to unveil and highlight the humanitarian issues hidden within one of the world’s most reported conflicts, because too often it is shown only as a place of war and conflict.