C4 Cameraman Killed in Gaza

[sassa]

C4 cameraman killed in Gaza

Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem

Saturday May 3, 2003

The Guardian

A British cameraman was shot dead by Israeli tankfire last night as he filmed after dark in Rafah in the Gaza strip.

Israeli soldiers said they found the man, believed to be James Miller, a respected freelance cameraman, after shooting in his direction when they came under fire. He was reportedly hit in the neck.

The soldiers gave him first aid and then took him to a military base, from where he was transported to the Soroka hopsital in Beersheva, southern Israel. He was believed to have died in transit.

An Israeli military spokesman said soldiers were searching for tunnels used for smuggling weapons in Rafah.

"The force went to a house where they found a tunnel. While in the house, they were fired upon with an anti-tank weapon. They returned fire _ The soldiers found a wounded man 150 metres away from the house in the street and they treated and evacuated him."

Miller was due to be based in Rafah for four weeks, filming a documentary for the American HBO cable network. He was working with the producer Saira Shah, with whom he had made Beneath the Veil, an acclaimed documentary about life under the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Miller and Shah were finalists in the 2001 Rory Peck Awards for Beneath the Veil. A judge in the competition commented at the time: "Enormous amount of bravery and initiative, and amazing pictures ... this documentary changed the way people viewed Afghanistan."

Beneath the Veil was nomiated for Bafta and Emmy awards.

Homaira Usman, the location producer on the film, said: "James was a brave professional who risked his life to get the truth out. His work in Afghanistan helped to bring to attention the dreadful situation of people of that country under the Taliban."

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said last night: "We are very concerned to hear of these reports and are trying to find out as much information as we can. James is a highly talented filmmaker and cameraman whose work for Channel 4 has been widely celebrated."

Miller was taken to the same hospital where a British peace activist is still in a coma after being shot in the head by the Israeli army on April 11. Tom Hurndall, 21, was shot as he tried to help children take cover when an Israeli position opened fire on a street in Rafah.

An American peace activist, Rachel Corrie, 23, died on March 16 in Rafah when an Israeli bulldozer she was trying to block ran her over. The army said the bulldozer operator did not see her.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government declared a policy of "zero tolerance" towards peace activists yesterday after discovering that a British suicide bomber had mingled with them. Its spokesman said activists, mainly from Europe and North America, would be deported when found.

Asif Hanif, who killed three people when he blew himself up in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, had gone to the office of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Rafah and joined activists in laying flowers at the site where Corrie died.

He was accompanied by Omar Khan Sharif, whose apparent attempt to blow himself up failed. He is being sought by the Israeli police.

Last night the chancellor, Gordon Brown, instructed the Bank of England to freeze all UK accounts belonging to the two men. "We have taken immediate action today to ensure that no UK funds belonging to those suspected of being responsible for this atrocity can be used to support terrorism."

There are dozens of ISM activists in the West Bank and Gaza strip. They spend weeks in Palestinian areas trying to prevent house demolitions and violence, and helping the Palestinians to carry out normal activities which are made difficult by settlers or the army.

Tom Wallace, a spokesman for the ISM, said the two bombers had no connection with the ISM other than meeting some of its activists in Rafah.

· Anti-terrorist police arrested five people in the East Midlands last night in connection with the suicide bombing in Israel, Scotland Yard said. Two men and two women were arrested in Derbyshire and one woman in Nottinghamshire.

All five suspects, who were being held at central London police stations, were arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which relates to those suspected of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. No weapons or any explosive devices are believed to have been found.

[pod]

I'm glad to see this being reported...in any conflict, there's always deaths amongst the media covering it. Being a photographer myself, I hear about it all the time, but it's always a fitting tribute when the media reports a tragedy like that..

[sassa]

it was reported widely in european and asian news....why was it kept so quiet here...interesting....