With Hasan in Gaza

On a beach in Gaza, children play as the red sun paints the landscape pink, while a love song drifts from a swaying car. The ocean roars along highways emptied by Israeli roadblocks, and the remnants of shattered buildings crunch beneath weary feet.

In the first days of November 2001, Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari visits Gaza, determined to find his former courageous cellmate. What begins as a search turns into a journey across Gaza, guided by a local companion, Hasan. Hasan would later disappear during the genocide carried out by Israel in Palestine, beginning in 2023.

Shot handheld and presented chronologically, the footage moves through Gaza’s bustling streets. It captures the essence of the Second Intifada—a time when days and nights were coloured by violence and fear, as Israel seized land to build its settlements.

With Hasan in Gaza is, above all, a tangible memory of life that persists and flourishes with joy and hope despite oppression. It is a tribute to all those killed by Israel, to the destroyed homes and shattered dreams. It is a trace and a voice that should have been heard long ago. Perhaps one of the most pertinent documentaries of the year.

Heta Heikala