9 photos that perfectly project the human cost of war

The heartbreaking portraits reveal a true sense of life during the four-year-long war in Syria

A heart-wrenching portrait project conducted by photographer Dario Mitidieri captures life in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, which is home to several refugee camps. The portraits reveal a true sense of life during the four-year-long war in Syria. As war continues, more and more families are losing their loved ones.

Here are 9 photographs that perfectly project the human cost of war:

1. Mahmoud's family

Mahmoud lost his wife when his children had gone to the market to buy food. When they returned, their home had been hit by a missile. The children miss their mother and each is suffering trauma after witnessing atrocities in their home country.



2. Razir's family

Razir fled Syria after her husband was kidnapped and executed. With not enough money to bring all her children to safety, Razir had no option but to leave her two eldest daughters behind. They haven't heard from them for seven months. The family now lives in a tent no bigger than a single bedroom. Their only possessions are a blanket the size of a bath towel and the clothes on their backs.



3. Owayed's family

Owayed's family traveled through snow-covered mountains for five days before they arrived at the refugee camp. During their journey, a group of armed men captured his four sons -- one of whom was blind. Owayed received WhatsApp messages from his sons regularly. Then one day, the messages stopped. He hasn’t heard from them since.



4. Mohammed's family

Mohammed was celebrating his daughter's wedding when a missile hit the building they were in two years ago. There has been no news of her since her wedding night. “If I saw her today, I would ask her how she has been. What she has been doing. And what is going on in her life," Mohammed said.



5. Sahar's family

Sahar was woken from her bed in the middle of the night by the sound of airstrikes. She woke three of her children who were staying with her and managed to escape. Her other nine children could not escape. Sahar hasn't heard from them since. "I cry all day thinking of them," she said.



6. Mohammed's family

A year ago, Mohammed was sitting in his living room with his family when a missile hit their home. The family ran, but in the chaos, their eldest son was severely injured by shrapnel and disappeared. Reports from back home tell Mohammed that his son's behaviour has become irrational as a result of his injuries. He has also destroyed his ID papers, which are essential for getting to safety. The family fears whether the next communication about their son will be the notification of his death.



7. Kalila's family

Kalila and her children were told to leave for Lebanon by her husband. Ahmed, her husband, was forced to stay because of "security matters." Although Ahmed reunited with the family in Bekaa Valley, they lack basic food and winter staples, especially medicines for the children.



8. Khawle's family

Khawle's family was split in half when they had to leave behind their grandmother, three brothers, and two sisters in Syria. Most of their journey escaping from Syria was on foot after their bus was stopped en route to Lebanon. Islamic State militants beat one of her daughter's up so badly that she couldn't walk for days.



9. Ali's family

Ali's home, which he spent 10 years building was hit by a missile two years ago. Ali fled with his wife and children but his mother, father, brother, and two sisters were left behind. Ali now uses secret code on WhatsApp to communicate with his family in Syria for fear of their messages being intercepted.



PHOTOS: DARIO MITIDIERI 

This article originally appeared on BuzzFeed