"Death In Gaza" broadcasts on More4, Wednesday 12 October, 9pm, 2005
In May 2003, James Miller was shot dead by an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. Miller and his close friend, reporter Saira Shah, had set out to follow up their award-winning films Beneath The Veil and Unholy War with a documentary about children caught in the crossfire of the bitter territorial dispute at the heart of the Middle East's troubles.
Attempting to unravel the vicious circle of violence that perpetuates the conflict, Shah and Miller focus on three children in the border town of Rafah, in the Gaza Strip. The children face violence on both sides. The Israeli army has built a network of sniper towers, which often claim civilian lives. The Palestinian paramilitaries use every victim to recruit kids and groom them for martyrdom.
Ahmed is a likeable, football-loving 12-year old. But after he witnesses the death of a friend, shot in the head by an Israeli sniper, he falls in with the paramilitaries, helping them as a messenger and lookout. Death in Gaza features incredible footage of the militants teaching Ahmed the tricks of their trade in their hideout.
In one scene, masked extremists give Ahmed weapons to play with and call him 'our little brother'. But when Saira asks about the morality of using such a young boy as a messenger and lookout, the militant's leader replies: 'Don't worry about responsibility, sister. When we say goodbye to Ahmed, there are a thousand more like him.'
Mohammed is Ahmed's timid but devoted best friend. His mother begs him not to go near the front line, but such is his loyalty to Ahmed that he joins him in making primitive bombs to throw at the Israeli tanks.
Sixteen-year-old Najla lives on the border, where the Israeli army is demolishing Palestinian homes to create a security zone. Eight members of her family have been killed. When the Israeli army shoots Najla's young cousin Salem, his funeral provides a climactic moment of revelation. The paramilitaries use Salem's death to recruit more children to their cause.
The film ends with Miller's death. His final moments were captured by a local cameraman, as he approached an Israeli army APC, wearing clothing that clearly identified him as a television journalist and shining a torch on a white flag while asking permission to pass. Saira, who was with James, also identifies the team as British TV journalists.
Update: Emmy awarded
James Miller's "Death in Gaza" won the direction, cinematography and non-fiction film-making awards at last night's ceremony in Los Angeles.
>>Read more - Channel 4 News 12 Sep 2005
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"Death In Gaza" broadcasts on More4, Wednesday, 12 October, 9pm, 2005
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