海角大神

She thought it was a gun, so she raised her tiny hands in surrender.

But the man who shot 4-year-old Hudea carried a camera, not a weapon. In that moment of childlike confusion, Turkish photographer Osman Sa臒谋rl谋 was able to capture what, in more ways than one, is the greatest casualty of Syria鈥檚 war 鈥� the loss of innocence. And perhaps because of the absence of overt violence in the image, the photo of this toddler has seized the attention of the world.

鈥淚 was using a telephoto lens, and she thought it was a weapon,鈥� Mr. Sa臒谋rl谋, who took the picture at the Atmeh refugee camp in Syria in December, . 鈥淚 realised she was terrified after I took it, and looked at the picture, because she bit her lips and raised her hands.鈥�

Photography has long played an important role in wartime coverage. Some of the most iconic war photos 鈥� such as Eddie Adams鈥� picture of 聽or Huyng Cong Nick Ut's photo of a from a napalm bombing 鈥撀爏how disturbingly graphic scenes that invite viewers to watch even as it prompts them to cringe or look away. For some, such photos invoke anger or horror.聽

Most photographers, including award-winning British war photographer Don McCullin, say that war photos are supposed to make people uncomfortable.

鈥淸I]t is the photographer's job to show some of that horror, to say: this is the real war, this is what it's like on the ground, this is what war does to you,鈥� Mr. McCullin聽.

But not every war photo that inspires change or invokes compassion is an effigy of blood and gore. Joe Rosenthal鈥檚 famous Iwo Jima battlefield portrait only implies that violence had occurred, as evidenced by the debris surrounding the six men raising the flag.

What made the image famous, however, was its message: 鈥淚t triggered a wave of national hope that Japanese forces would soon be crushed and peace was near,鈥� .

Sa臒谋rl谋鈥檚 photo of the Syrian girl also tells a poignant story: This is what the day-to-day experience of war can do to a child. Sa臒谋rl谋 pointed out that Hudea鈥檚 automatic response was vastly different from how a child in peacetime would react.

鈥淣ormally kids run away, hide their faces or smile when they see a camera,鈥� he told the BBC.

When placed in context, Hudea鈥檚 response becomes somewhat understandable. More than 10,000 children have died as a result of the Syrian war since it began in 2011, .

Of those who have survived, about 5.6 million are living in poverty and poor health, displaced, or caught in the line of fire, with about 2 million of those forced to live as refugees in neighboring countries, .

Education has ground to a halt: have been destroyed or damaged, or are now used as displacement camps.

UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake, , called Syria 鈥渢he worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory.鈥�

鈥淲hat choices will these children make?鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲hat choices do they have?鈥�

At a time when ISIS (also known as Islamic State or IS) beheading a single Western hostage garners more global attention than the plight of millions of war refugees, the photo of a Syrian toddler surrendering seems to be touching hearts in a way that statistics, blogs, or a gory image haven't 鈥� if the responses on Twitter are any indication.

Already Hudea's photo has been shared more than 20,000 times on Twitter since Gaza-based photojournalist Nadia Abu Shaban posted it last week, and has 鈥渕oved people all over the world,鈥� .

鈥淧erhaps it's Hudea's eye, or the knowledge that the conflict in Syria is still raging on after years, creating thousands upon thousands of homeless children like her,鈥� Mr. Davy continued. 鈥淓ither way, the image speaks volumes.鈥�

Here are a few of the organizations working with war refugee children from Syria: ,听,听, and聽.