Lebanon, Middle East riven by wars, but moments of grace break the chaos

An Israeli bomb hangs suspended in air, caught in a split-second image of a suburb in Beirut before it slams into an apartment building, passersby already bracing for the explosion.

Across the Middle East this year, photographers froze moments in time, reflections of the wars and their horrors that have upended life across the region.

But even in the worst, their lens captured haunting, still moments reflecting how life carries on even in the chaos.

In one image, a volunteer kisses two kittens rescued from the rubble of another Israeli airstrike in Beirut. His face is smudged with soot. One of the kittens, eyes closed, meows with its tiny claws extended.

In the Gaza Strip, another photograph resembles a still life painting as golden rays of morning light hang in the dusty air as a Palestinian man in shadow uses a shovel to clean away debris from what was once a kitchen.

Then there was for many the year's biggest surprise in December. After more than 50 years of rule, the Assad family of Syria lost control of the country in the face of a lightning rebel advance. Rebels waved their assault rifles above their head in a street in Damascus, as they raced by on a motorbike.

And as 2025 looms, everything feels like it remains in motion in the wider Middle East. Its only these images and the fleeting moments they capture, that remain frozen.