Palestinian Children’s Resilience Amid IOF Atrocities

Ross Kemp’s Gaza Documentary: Palestinian Children’s Resilience Amid IOF Atrocities

In 2015, English actor Ross Kemp traveled to Gaza to document the devastating aftermath of the Israeli Occupation Force’s (IOF) 2014 military assault, known as Operation Protective Edge.

His documentary, Ross Kemp: Middle East, captures heart-wrenching interviews with Palestinian children, revealing their profound trauma and remarkable resilience one year after the massacre.

The 50-day IOF offensive, launched on July 8, 2014, killed over 2,220 Palestinians, including at least 547 children, with 535 deaths directly attributed to IOF attacks.

Nearly 68% of the children killed were 12 or younger, underscoring the IOF’s disproportionate targeting of Gaza’s most vulnerable.

Kemp’s conversations expose the terror inflicted by the IOF’s indiscriminate airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling, which destroyed 18,000 homes and displaced 500,000 people—28% of Gaza’s population—at the conflict’s peak.

One child shared, “We lived in fear every night.

The sky was full of bombs;

I thought I was going to die.”

Another mourned, “I lost my best friend in the airstrike. We used to play together,

but now he is gone.”

A boy recounted the horror in Shuja’iyya: “The IOF came and killed many children.

I saw children running and screaming everywhere.

It was like a nightmare I can’t forget.”

On July 20, 2014, the IOF’s assault on Shuja’iyya killed at least 27 children, while a single airstrike in Khan Younis claimed 18 young lives.

In total, 164 children were killed in drone strikes, highlighting the IOF’s reckless disregard for civilian lives.

The documentary showcases stories of loss, with children orphaned, injured, or permanently disabled amid Gaza’s crippled infrastructure and the ongoing Israeli blockade.

Over 1,000 children suffered lifelong disabilities, like 12-year-old Mohammad Baroud, who lost both feet in an explosion and lamented, “I am afraid I will never walk again.

My dreams are broken because of the IOF’s bombs.”

A girl stated bluntly, “They don’t care if we are children or not. They kill us anyway.”

Kemp’s empathetic approach amplifies these voices, exposing the IOF’s systemic violations, labeled as war crimes by groups like Defense for Children International for deliberate attacks on civilians, schools, and medical facilities.

Kemp also highlights Gaza’s economic strangulation by the IOF, with smuggling tunnels serving as a desperate lifeline under the blockade.

Despite the suffering, the children’s resilience shines through.

One child expressed hope: “We want peace and freedom.

We want to live without fear of bombs and soldiers.”

Kemp’s work underscores the Palestinian children’s courage and their call for justice, even as the international community fails to hold Israel accountable for documented war crimes.