A full 25 years after the heartbreaking incident that shook the world’s conscience, a new generation of Egyptian students is coming face to face with the memory of Palestinian child Muhammad al-Durrah. The iconic photo of al-Durrah has been included in a high school textbook covering the history of the Second Palestinian Intifada of 2000.
According to Middle East Monitor, the photo appears in a lesson titled “The Second Palestinian Intifada 2000” in the new curriculum, captioned directly beneath it: “The moment Muhammad al-Durrah was shot.” The image has been included as part of the historical record of the conflict and peace efforts, and has become a uniquely human document of that conflict. On September 30, 2000, occupying Israeli forces mercilessly riddled the young al-Durrah with bullets as he cowered behind a concrete block in his father’s arms amid indiscriminate gunfire from Israeli forces on a Gaza street. Footage of that brutal scene caused a massive stir around the world at the time.
The fresh blood and human message behind the conflict
Al-Durrah’s father, Jamal al-Durrah, reacted with emotion to his son’s photo being included in the textbook. He said its significance is not limited to students simply recognizing Muhammad’s name or photo in the book. Rather, he said, it will help the new generation understand that behind the conflicts and dates they read about in the pages of history were ordinary people and innocent children — who not only lived through fear and brutality, but paid the ultimate price.
Al-Durrah’s father expressed hope that his son’s tragic story would serve as a significant gateway to understanding the blood-soaked reality of the Palestinian crisis — so that students come to see the highways of history and politics, wars or agreements, not merely as dry dates, but as the flesh-and-blood struggle of Palestinians to survive, in which the heaviest price has been paid by defenseless children.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report