Tom Hurndall, Murdered in Gaza by an Israeli Soldier

On 13 January, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of photographer Tom Hurndall. An Israeli sniper killed him whilst he tried to move innocent children out of the line of fire.

The commemoration will be even more significant this year with the vast death toll of children along the Gaza Strip. It is also a reminder to us all that these troubles have been raging for years. A solution will not be a quick thing.

Rachel Corrie

Tom is not the only Western death in Palestine. Rachel Corrie was an American activist who died on 16 March 2003 in the Gaza Strip.

She was participating in a protest organised by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) against the Israeli military's demolition of Palestinian homes in the Rafah refugee camp.

Rachel Corrie was attempting to prevent the destruction of a Palestinian home when an Israeli bulldozer fatally injured her.

The circumstances surrounding her death are disputed. According to witnesses, including fellow activists, Rachel was wearing a bright orange vest and standing in clear view of the bulldozer driver when she was struck.

The Israeli military argued that the incident was a tragic accident, claiming that the driver did not see her and that the bulldozer operator's view was obstructed.

Lesser known cases such as Iain Hook, a British UNRWA worker who was killed by a sniper in West Bank and James Miller, a filmmaker shot in Gaza, are just as tragic.

Tom Hurndall

Tom was born on 27 November 1981 in London. He went on to study at Manchester Metropolitan University. During this time, he was known to have a passion for photography and social justice causes.

His passion for social causes took a significant turn when he joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). This was a Palestinian-led organisation which advocated for the rights of its members opposing the Israeli occupation.

Passionate about documenting the lives of Palestinians, he decided to witness the conditions for himself. He travelled to the Gaza Strip in 2003.

He felt that the Western and, in particular, British press avoided honest reporting of what was going on there, and he began photographing so that "no one could say, I wasn't seeing what needs to be seen now", he wrote back home.

Stopping Tanks

Ms Hurndall said she had received an email from Tom on 11 April; he told her he was being "shot at, gassed and chased" by soldiers during the five days he was in Rafah and described the danger that both he and the Palestinians were facing.

He was on his way to a march to stop tanks firing on Palestinian houses.

Whilst protesting, Israeli snipers opened fire in the direction of the protest. Tom observed a group of children in the line of the fire. Some had run for cover, but some were too scared to move.

Tom sprinted to where the children were, picked one up and returned her to safety. When he went to collect a second child, he was shot in the head by a sniper's bullet.

Aftermath

Tom did not die initially; the bullet put him into a coma, where he was operated on by several hospitals, including one in Israel. Despite all the surgeons' best efforts, Tom remained in a coma for nine months, when he passed away back in the UK.

Initially, Israeli authorities denied that a sniper had shot him, but several witnesses came forward that clearly stated where the gunfire had come from.

The family accused the Israeli authorities of a 'cover-up' calling for the British government to take action under the Geneva Convention.

Justice

After many years, the Israeli soldier responsible for Tom's murder was brought to justice. A jury ruled that he had been intentionally killed. Taysir Hayb, the sniper, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years.

The witnesses and jury concluded that Tom wore an orange jacket that marked him as a peace activist.

In a move similar to that which is happening now, the government failed to condemn the killing of Tom Hurndall. Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of the time, never made a public statement about the death of this young man.

Make no mistake about it the Israeli defence force have today been found culpable by this jury of murder - Michael Mansfield QC

Over time, it is easy to forget the death of this remarkable young man. Let us not forget the genocide of many young men and women that is occurring in Palestine at the moment.