Ross Kemp Gaza and israel

With unprecedented access to all sides, this two-part series will offer insight into life in Gaza post Operation Cast Lead and life in cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It explores the mindset of the men behind the violence, and highlights the experiences of those trapped in the middle.

The two-part series aims to explore the situation in the region at this point in time and hear from the people involved with and affected by the conflict.



Ross Kemp comments: “It’s the politicians and the extremists who are pushing the agenda. You don’t get to hear the voices of the average person on the street, whether it be in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, or whether it be in Gaza or Ramallah.”



“We spoke to people from Hamas and from the IDF, the Israeli Defence Force. We also heard from people on the streets. We spoke about the building of the wall around the West Bank, and about what it’s like to be under the blockade of Gaza.”

“When you go into Gaza you have your bags checked by a recognised terrorist organisation, Hamas. It’s a very odd situation. But they’re the legitimately elected government of Gaza. Only essential items are allowed to cross the border into Gaza at the moment, such as nappies, milk and fruit.”

Ross also visits Gaza Community Mental Health Project to visit young Palestinian children who have lost family members to the violence.



“Nearly 1,400 Palestinian people were killed during Operation Cast Lead*.  We visited a psychiatric hospital in Gaza that cared for young children who had been orphaned by the violence. To hear them talk about their experiences losing loved ones was intensely powerful. Some of the children we met witnessed their whole family being killed. When you hear children talk about pulling out dismembered members of their family out of the rubble it’s tough, emotional stuff.”



Ross also interviews John Ging, the Irish Director of Operations, Gaza, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to discuss how the situation in Gaza has intensified following Operation Cast Lead*.



The second film focuses on Israel and Ross meets groups and settlers who believe that Israel should adopt more extreme policies and expand its occupied territories. Many follow former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s statement – “Everybody has to move, run and grab as many hilltops as they can to enlarge the settlements because everything we take now will stay ours… Everything we don’t grab will go to them".



It is such a sensitive and provocative issue. If we’ve done our job correctly, we’ve made an honest documentary that’s an observation of the situation in the Middle East.