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Amoun, 70, a blind Palestinian refugee who lived in the town of Aleppo in Syria, rests on a beach moments after arriving by dinghy on the Greek island of Kos, crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, August 12, 2015. Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis: “I was on a beach in Kos waiting for rafts containing refugees and migrants to arrive. When this raft arrived I took some pictures and gave the people directions to the police station to register, reassuring them, as my colleagues and I did again and again, that nobody was going to harm them. Then I saw an older lady sitting on the beach looking very comfortable with the flicker of a smile on her face. She looked very calm. I stayed a few metres away and shot some frames as the morning sun gently illuminated her face. I was stunned by the tranquility of the scene and by her presence. I decided to approach and offer her a small sweet, a traditional gesture of Greek hospitality. I also wanted to ask her a few questions and solve the mystery that seemed to surround her. I kneeled in front of her and offered the sweet, saying good morning in Arabic. She seemed lost but her gentle face still had a beautiful smile. She reached with her hand upwards and then I realised she was blind. I was overwhelmed by strong emotions. We exchanged some pleasantries in English and Arabic and then she took the sweet, gave me a warm handshake with both her hands and thanked me with that divine smile. Her family was watching, some smiling, some with tears of joy running down their faces. This must have been one of my best mornings of the year”. (Photo by Yannis Behrakis/Reuters)
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