The horrors of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas portray the cost civilians from both sides have to pay. Hamas fired thousands of rockets on October 7 in its surprise attacks and Israel conducted relentless air strikes on Gaza and is now preparing for an all-out ground assault.
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.
Caught In Crossfire
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.
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. A journalist working for France 2 caught the horrifying incident on tape, which showed Mohammad hiding behind his father.
Jamal Al-Durrah and his son Mohammad were caught in the crossfire
He waved at one of the factions, pleading to stop, while his petrified son cried behind his father. A few seconds later, shots were fired and Mohammad collapsed in Jamal's lap and later died. The loss he suffered in the early days of the second Intifada symbolised the brutal nature of the conflict between the two sides. The second Palestinian uprising ended in 2005 and over 1,000 Israelis and more than 3,000 Palestinians were killed.
Air Strikes On Gaza
After 23 years since the killing of Mohammad, Jamal is now mourning the loss of his family members. "The iconic killing of the Palestinian child Mohammed al-Durrah by Israel, his blood still flows in the Gaza Strip," Jamal Al-Durrah said.
Crouching beside the bodies of the victims at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in Gaza, Jamal said, "Reserve a place for me among you (in paradise)." "Israel targeted the homes of my brothers, killing my two brothers, my brother's wife, and his only daughter. Dozens of my neighbours have also been killed, mostly children," he added.
"The occupation deliberately kills children. Every day they kill a child. The scene of Mohammed's killing still repeats itself after 23 years. Mohammed's blood is still flowing." "Israel does not target military objectives. They kill civilians with Western weapons," Jamal said.
Israel's Objectives
Israel is planning an all-out ground assault on Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to obliterate Hamas. The three-pronged terror attack from Hamas is getting an all-out response. Israel asked civilians in north Gaza to flee south before an offensive was launched and later alleged that Hamas was using Gazans as human shields against Israeli air strikes.
Israel launched overnight airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, according to a statement from the Israeli army. There are growing fears of an escalation between the pro-Iran Lebanese group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and Israel.
US President Joe Biden will visit Israel tomorrow as the war escalates between Israel and Hamas and fear a serious humanitarian crisis rises.