Jamal al-Durrah (r) with his son, Mohammed al-Durrah (l) during the second Palestinian intifada. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Local Palestinian media reported that Ahmad al-Durrah was killed Thursday by Israeli forces in Bureij refugee camp in Gaza, 23 years after his brother Mohammed was killed by Israeli soldiers in the lap of his father, Jamal. Mohammed's death was filmed and broadcast on French 2, a public national television channel, narrated by the station's bureau chief.
Mohammed al-Durrah was 12 when he was killed, crouched behind his father as bullets rained down around them, and the images and footage of them spread throughout the world, turning him into a symbol of the Second Intifada (2000-2005) during which more than 3,000 Palestinians were killed across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In October, 2023, Israeli forces also killed two of Jamal al-Durrah’s brothers, a sister-in-law and a niece.
The Second Intifada, or Al-Aqsa Intifada, spanning from late 2000 to 2005, was triggered by the provocative visit of Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Fueled by a backdrop of frustration over stalled peace negotiations, economic challenges, Israeli military occupation, and a perceived lack of progress toward Palestinian statehood, the uprising was characterized by widespread protests and heightened tensions. Israeli military responses, including the use of live ammunition, contributed to escalating the conflict.
