23 Year After He Lost Minor Son In Israeli Gunfire, Man Loses 4 Of Family In Gaza War
Images have a weird way to capture histories and remain forever etched in our memories. Such is this picture of a man trying to shield his son from Israeli gunfire years ago. Today, the haunting memory of that picture has come running back for us as well as for him. Here's what happened.
What happened?
Jamal Al-Durrah, the symbol of the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) against Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and east Jerusalem in 2000, is mourning the loss of four members of his family killed in the Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Jamal Al-Durrah lost his two brothers, sister-in-law and niece in the Israeli counter-strike, which killed over 2,500 in Gaza.?
And?twenty-three years ago, Jamal lost his 11-year-old son, Mohammed al-Durrah, in a crossfire between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters during the second Intifada. The same war took his entire family 23 years apart.
Where and when?
On September 30, 2000, two days after the second Intifada began, Jamal and Mohammad were stuck in a gun battle between the two factions. Jamal crouched with his son behind a concrete cylinder.?Moments later, after the smoke of an explosion cleared, the boy could be seen slumped across his dad's lap.
Who captured the horrifying shot?
A journalist working for France 2 caught the horrifying incident on tape, which showed Mohammad hiding behind his father.
Why was the moment so defining?
Images of his son's killing shocked the world and the two became the defining symbols of the second Palestinian uprising as the photographer captured it moment-by-moment.
Now, years later, Jamal is facing the terror of burying more members of his family.A video shared on Twitter showed him crouching next to two bodies covered in white sheets, reported to be his brothers.'May God make it easy for you,' he repeats several times before saying 'goodbye'.
It is one of the most heart-wrenching moments to have been captured on camera since Israel launched retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip more than a week ago.
How is the situation right now?
Residents of Hamas-ruled Gaza said the overnight strikes were the heaviest yet in nine days of conflict.Entire neighbourhoods have been demolished, and more than 1,000 people are missing under the rubble of buildings.
The death toll rose to 2,750, while the number of civilians wounded surpassed 10,000.
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