Product Description

THIS POIGNANT & POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY TAKES A SHOCKING,FIRSTHAND LOOK AT THE ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK &GAZA.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50467 in DVD
• Brand: HBO HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2006-02-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, Hebrew
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 80 minutes

Features

• This poignant and powerful documentary takes a shocking, first-hand look at the culture of hate that permeates the West Bank and Gaza, and which continues to escalate the perennial violence pitting Palestinians against Israelis. Starting out in the city of Nablus (where as many as 80 percent of suicide bombing plots are planned), James Miller and Saira Shah ended up in the Gaza town of Rafah, one

Customer Reviews

"Martyrdom makes many promises ..."
British filmmaker James Miller traveled to Palestine in 2003 to make a documentary about the affect of violence on the lives of Palestinian children. He also planned to make a companion film about Israeli children. Tragically, Miller was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Rafah while making his documentary. Consequently, the film's focus was diverted from its initial purpose. What remains is a film that is partially a tribute to the bravery and commitment of Miller, and partially a story about the poisoned lives of children growing up in Palestine.

The camera captures the atmosphere of the streets. Walls are covered with posters of militants and those killed in the conflict. When the sun sets, there's an unearthly scene as the street vendors disappear and then "paramilitaries come out at night using the dead to recruit more militants." Of course, those recruited are usually young males--some still in childhood. In one horrific scene, Saira Shah--also the film's narrator--is brave enough to interview some hooded Palestinian paramilitaries who are grooming Ahmed, a young boy to join their ranks. The paramilitaries play games with the boy and the games slide into teaching him how to hold a rocket grenade launcher. When Shah asks if it is moral to recruit young children to be terrorists, the hooded paramilitary member strokes the boy's head and chillingly responds, "don't worry about responsibility, sister, we're men, when we say goodbye to Ahmed, there are 1000s more like him."

The film shows quite clearly that children on the streets of Palestine are well aware of imminent death and that their lives are irrevocably altered by their day-to-day existence--it is common for children to write letters to their families in case they are killed. "Death in Gaza" cannot be labeled as 'pro' or 'con' either side of this mess, and the film's position is strongly anti-violence. What a tragedy that James Miller was killed, and what a loss that we will never see his intended companion piece film--displacedhuman

Death in Gaza
This documentary is both extremely sad and extremely powerful. I first saw Death in Gaza when it originally aired on HBO a couple years ago. Since then, I've periodically searched for it to no avail. When I found out Amazon.com would be carrying it, I immediately purchased it. This is a must-see for anyone interested in Middle East politics or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is both heart-breaking and disturbing to see what reality is for so many. One of the most moving scenes for me is the funerals for the martyrs. Some are crying, some are chanting militant anthems, and a man on a megaphone incites the people to Jihad. "We must continue the struggle until victory or martyrdom" he urges, his voice reverberating while an eerie soundtrack plays in the background. Seeing the impact on the children is also difficult to watch. This is a reality that should be seen by all.

The making of martyrs . . .
This film about life among young Palestinians packs the usual punch of HBO documentaries. Celebrated British filmmakers Miller and Shah get as close to the skirmishes directed against Israeli troops as possible, capturing footage that refuses to turn away from the human cost of this particular kind of urban warfare. It is high-risk filmmaking, and we know from the start that Miller is killed by Israeli gunfire before the shooting of the film is completed.

Viewers not familiar with the Palestinian resistance will be shocked by the impact that fear and hatred of the Israelis has made upon the youngest generation - the boys flinging rocks at Israeli tanks, who have come under the influence of masked, gun-wielding insurgents. We meet two young boys, close friends, who manufacture explosives, and an older girl who has lost several members of her family and weeps at yet another funeral. The romance of martyrdom overwhelms their youthful world as a welcomed though not fully understood prospect.

There is little resolution to the powerlessness the viewer can feel watching this film, and those sympathetic with the Israeli side of the equation will find it represented by distant, menacing armed figures in military uniforms or moving through the streets in tanks - objects to be feared, scorned, and hated. And as the film represents this ongoing struggle, there seems to be no end in sight. Worth seeing as a look behind the daily news from that part of the troubled world.