ICJP hosts Al Jazeera Investigations Unit’s film premiere of ‘GAZA’

The first public screening in the UK of Al Jazeera Investigative Unit’s new documentary ‘Gaza’ was hosted by Al Jazeera and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in a sold-out venue in Westminster. The screening took place on the 10th October 2024 and was followed by a panel discussion chaired by the documentary’s director Richard Sanders.

The panel comprised Susan Abulhawa, human rights activist & the most widely-read Palestinian author of all time; Youmna Elsayed, Al Jazeera’s award-winning Gaza Strip Correspondent; Haydee Dijkstal, barrister and Chief Counsel at ICJP; and Dr Victoria Rose, NHS Plastic Surgeon supporting trauma care services in Gaza since 2009, who has worked in multiple Gaza hospitals since October last year. The event was hosted by ICJP’s Senio Legal Officer Dania Abul Haj and the panel discussion was moderated by the film director Richard Sanders. 

The feature film Gaza exposes Israeli war crimes committed in Gaza using images and videos posted by Israeli soldiers themselves – in some instances identifying those responsible. With stark footage documenting crimes of wanton murder, destruction, and looting, the film’s release coincides with vital work to identify and prosecute the soldiers culpable for Israel’s programme of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Dr Victoria Rose spoke of the international community’s role, saying: ‘the bottom line is this is a human rights issue. Children are being murdered. It’s got to stop, and we’ve got to stop supporting this.’

Youmna El Sayed spoke of her work as a journalist, saying ‘how can we abandon our own people when we’ve tasted the bitter taste of abandonment from the whole world.’

Crucially, the film does not neglect the role of Western complicity in these crimes, including not only the supply of arms to Israel but also the use of RAF facilities in Cyprus for UK-conducted ‘spy plane’ flights over Gaza – a topic largely barred from discussion in British press and politics.

Coinciding with one year since the genocide in Gaza commenced, the screening served to sharpen minds in Westminster as to the clear proof of criminal acts by Israeli soldiers in Gaza – and the urgent task of identifying and prosecuting those responsible. Joining Al Jazeera and ICJP at ‘One Birdcage Walk’ for the event were a number of esteemed guests, including sitting Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, journalists, Gaza-serving doctors, and NGO directors.