This video captured on September 30, 2000 is published in memory and in the context of the ongoing massacres and genocide in Gaza. The father of Muhammad al-Durrah, killed on his knees by Israeli troops, lost 14 members of his family on September 30, 2024, killed exactly 24 years later by Israeli bombings of his homes in celebration.

Muhammad al-Durrah, shot dead in the arms of his father Jamal, 24 years ago today

This event appears to be an Israeli “celebration” or “dedication” of the assassination, 24 years ago, of the child Muhammed Durrah, emblematic martyr of the second Intifada.

On September 30, 2000, 12-year-old Palestinian boy Muhammad al-Durrah was fatally shot by Israeli forces in Gaza as his father, Jamal al-Durrah, attempted to shield him from gunfire in the crossfire at the Netzarim junction in Gaza.

Talal Hassan Abu Rahma, a Palestinian cameraman for France 2, along with journalists from Reuters, AP, and NHK, were present at the scene, filming the day's protests and later the gunfire exchange for French TV channel France 2. This occurred two days after Israeli politician Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sparked widespread protests and strikes in the Palestinian territories. The day after the incident, Abu Rahma visited Jamal al-Durrah, Muhammad's father, in the hospital. Jamal was in critical condition, with many bullets lodged in his body, according to the doctors.

The footage, showing Jamal trying to protect his son, became an iconic and heartbreaking symbol of the Second Intifada, gaining international attention. It was broadcast worldwide, causing widespread outrage. Talal Abu Rahma, the cameraman who captured the iconic footage of Muhammad al-Durrah, received numerous awards and honors for the video, from countries such as Dubai, Qatar, the U.S., France, and twice in London. He expressed disbelief at the accusations that the video had been staged.

Israel's Response: The Israeli government and military denied responsibility for the shooting, questioning the authenticity of the video and denying that Israeli soldiers were involved. After the shooting, the** Israeli army proceeded to destroy much of the physical evidence, including razing the wall behind Muhammad al-Durrah**. The IDF justified this by arguing it needed to remove hiding places for Palestinian gunmen.

In 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested a new inquiry into the Muhammad al-Durrah incident, led by Yossi Kuperwasser, director-general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry. The resulting 2013 Kuperwasser report questioned the original claims about the boy's death. The report concluded that Muhammad al-Durrah and his father, Jamal, had not been hit by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fire and suggested they may not have been shot at all. It also claimed the boy seen in France 2’s footage was alive at the end of the video. Jamal al-Durrah rejected the findings, stating that if his son were still alive, Israel should return him. He even offered to exhume his son’s grave for DNA analysis to disprove the report. The report was controversial and criticized by Reporters Without Borders and Israeli journalist Barak Ravid.

Legal Battle: In 2013, a French court ruled in favor of France 2 and Talal Abu Rahma in a defamation case against French media commentator Philippe Karsenty, who had accused them of staging the footage. Karsenty was fined 7,000 euros.

Distribution of the Footage: Some questioned whether the footage was sold for profit, but France 2 made the decision to distribute the video for free. Both the channel and Abu Rahma agreed not to profit from the tragedy, with France 2 stating, “We will not make money from the blood of children.”

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Muhammad_al-Durrah https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/9/30/behind-the-lens-remembering-muhammad-al-durrah