Hamas to make feature film
Its first feature movie, which opened in the Gaza Strip at the weekend, celebrates the short and violent life of one of its militants.
Audiences reportedly cheered during its premiere at the weekend when one of the characters announced, "To kill Israeli soldiers is to worship God."
The film, titled "Imad Aqel," was filmed on the grounds of Gnai Tal, one of the Jewish settlements evacuated in 2005 when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip. It tells the story of the founding of Hamas in the 1980s and how the religious movement turned political. It also depicts the attacks Mr Aqel launched on Israeli targets. He is thought to have killed thirteen Israelis in all, both civilians and soldiers before being killed himself by Israeli forces in 1993 at the age of 22.
The foray into feature films is part of a larger new strategy by the party that controls Gaza Strip, to focus on what its officials have called "a culture of resistance."..
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
Audiences reportedly cheered during its premiere at the weekend when one of the characters announced, "To kill Israeli soldiers is to worship God."
The film, titled "Imad Aqel," was filmed on the grounds of Gnai Tal, one of the Jewish settlements evacuated in 2005 when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip. It tells the story of the founding of Hamas in the 1980s and how the religious movement turned political. It also depicts the attacks Mr Aqel launched on Israeli targets. He is thought to have killed thirteen Israelis in all, both civilians and soldiers before being killed himself by Israeli forces in 1993 at the age of 22.
The foray into feature films is part of a larger new strategy by the party that controls Gaza Strip, to focus on what its officials have called "a culture of resistance."..