Killing of Muhammad al-Durrah

Killing of Muhammad al-Durrah
Muhammad (left) and Jamal al-Durrah (right) filmed by Talal Abu Rahma for France 2
Date30 September 2000; 24 years ago (2000-09-30)
Timec. 15:00 Israel Summer Time (12:00 UTC)
LocationNetzarim Junction, Gaza Strip
Coordinates31°27′53″N 34°25′38″E / 31.46472°N 34.42722°E / 31.46472; 34.42722
First reporterCharles Enderlin for France 2
Filmed byTalal Abu Rahma
Casualties
Reported deaths: Muhammad al-Durrah; Bassam al-Bilbeisi, ambulance driver
Multiple gunshot wounds: Jamal al-Durrah
AwardsRory Peck Award (2001), for Talal Abu Rahma[1]
FootageCharles Enderlin, "La mort de Mohammed al Dura", France 2, 30 September 2000 (raw footage; disputed section)

On 30 September 2000, the second day of the Second Intifada, 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah (Arabic: محمد الدرة, romanized: Muḥammad ad-Durra) was killed at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip during widespread protests and riots across the Palestinian territories against Israeli military occupation. Jamal al-Durrah and his son Muhammad were filmed by Talal Abu Rahma, a Palestinian television cameraman freelancing for France 2, as they were caught in crossfire between the Israeli military and Palestinian security forces. Footage shows them crouching behind a concrete cylinder, the boy crying and the father waving, then a burst of gunfire and dust. Muhammad is shown slumping as he is mortally wounded by gunfire, dying soon after.[2]

Fifty-nine seconds of the footage were broadcast on television in France with a voiceover from Charles Enderlin, the station's bureau chief in Israel. Based on information from the cameraman, Enderlin told viewers that the al-Durrahs had been the target of fire from the Israeli positions and that the boy had died.[3][4] After an emotional public funeral, Muhammad was hailed throughout the Muslim world as a martyr.[5]

Initially, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accepted responsibility for the shooting, but claimed that Palestinians used children as human shields;[6] the IDF retracted its admission of responsibility in 2005.[7] In 2000, the IDF commissioned Nahum Shahaf to investigate, producing a report which provoked widespread criticism.[8] One of the Israeli investigators even claimed the incident had been staged by Palestinian gunmen, cameraman and Muhammad's own father.[9] The report eventually concluded that Muhammad was possibly killed by Palestinian fire. However, a Palestinian investigation that same year concluded Muhammad was killed by bullets that came from the Israeli post.[10]

In 2012, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commissioned another investigation. In 2013, that report concluded that not only was Muhammad not hit by IDF fire, Muhammad was perhaps never shot nor killed.[11] Jamal al-Durrah rejected the idea that his son was somehow not dead and offered to exhume Muhammad's grave.[12] The report was criticized by Charles Enderlin and France 2,[13][14] Reporters Without Borders and Barak Ravid. In France, Philippe Karsenty, a media commentator, also alleged that the scene had been staged by France 2; France 2 sued him for libel in 2006 leading to Karsenty's eventual conviction in 2013 for the allegation.[15][16]

The footage of the father and son acquired what one writer called the power of a battle flag.[17] Postage stamps in the Middle East carried the images. Abu Rahma's coverage of the al-Durrah shooting brought him several journalism awards, including the Rory Peck Award in 2001.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Peck2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "French court examines footage of Mohammad al-Dura's death". Haaretz. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference EnderlinJan2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Moutet, Anne-Elisabeth (7 July 2008). "L'Affaire Enderlin". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015.
  5. ^ Cook, David (2007). Martyrdom in Islam. Cambridge University Press. pp. 155–156.
  6. ^ Shoker, Sarah (2021). Military-age males in counterinsurgency and drone warfare. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 40. ISBN 978-3-030-52474-6.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seaman2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goldenberg28Nov2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cygielman7Nov2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mackey20May2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference notdead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Koury, Jack (20 May 2013). "Mohammed al-Dura's Father Calls for International Probe Into Whether IDF Killed His Son". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sherwood20May2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Leading critic of French al-Dura coverage convicted: Philippe Karsenty found guilty of defamation for accusing France 2 of staging Palestinian boy's death". Times of Israel. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Media analyst convicted over France-2 Palestinian boy footage". The Guardian. Associated Press. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  17. ^ Carvajal, Doreen (7 February 2005). "Photo of Palestinian Boy Kindles Debate in France". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2024.