''Death in Gaza'' is a 2004 British

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

documentary film screened on 25 May 2004 about the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

, opening in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

but then moving to Gaza and eventually settling in

Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...

where the film spends most of its time. It concentrates on three children, Ahmed (age 12), Mohammed (age 12), and Najla (age 16), and includes the murder by

Israeli forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

of the film's producer/director James Miller.

Topics

Children

The film follows the children in different aspects of their lives including life in the vicinity of military forces and games born out of the conflict – such as running towards, throwing rocks and homemade explosives, ''quwas'', at armored vehicles; Study materials in schools which focus on Palestinian perceptions of the conflict, as well as time spent with family and friends, including following one of the children as he plays with and helps militant fighters. The film also makes note of the political use of public mourning for conflict enhancement.

Martyrdom

For a short while the film concentrates on

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

and the opinions of the people there about dying for

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. It briefly tells the story of a young boy who was shot while attacking Israeli forces much like the main boys Ahmed and Mohammed, as well as numerous other unnamed boys. The film follows the boy from being brought into the medical center and the initial treatment, to his death and public reaction, to the parade and his burial, and celebration at his ''success'' in becoming a martyr.

James Miller's death

While filming, producer/director James Miller was killed by an Israeli soldier. His death was incorporated as a major part of the film, with an explanation by the narrator, Saira Shah, at the beginning of the film, and the full story and reactions at the end. It is mentioned that, against the film crew's wishes, Palestinian people made posters declaring that Miller was a martyr. A British inquest jury in April 2006 returned a verdict that Miller had been murdered.

References

External links

*
Channel 4 Films Death in Gaza page

Death in Gaza
page from

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