Doha, June 15 (QNA) - The Museum of Islamic Art hosted a screening on Monday of the documentary Inside Gaza, directed by Helene Lam Trong, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of France in Doha.

The screening was attended by HE Minister of Education and Higher Education Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater; HE Ambassador of France to the State of Qatar Arnaud Pescheux; HE Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Qatar Fayez Majed Abu Al Rub; as well as a number of Their Excellencies ambassadors, diplomats, and guests accredited to the State.

The documentary Inside Gaza recounts part of the lives of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists who found themselves trapped inside Gaza during the first months of the war, as their personal lives became intertwined with the tragedy they were documenting.

The film follows the daily lives of these journalists beginning on October 7, 2023, as they documented the horrors unfolding in the besieged territory, where thousands of people, most of them civilians, were killed.

Director Helene Lam Trong relied almost exclusively on AFP footage, most of which was filmed by the journalists whose experiences are featured throughout the documentary.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE the French Ambassador said that the screening of Inside Gaza, which highlights the work and experiences of AFP journalists in Gaza, reflects France's commitment to protecting journalists.

He stressed that France, like Qatar, believes journalists should never be targeted and must be protected while carrying out their professional duties.

HE the ambassador added that the event also reflects France's long-standing commitment to the peace process, noting that France remains dedicated to achieving a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

HE stressed that France is committed to finding a durable solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

He said they recently held a conference in Paris that brought together civil society organizations from both Israel and Palestine. Tonight's event is another expression of their commitment to the peace process.

For his part, HE the Palestinian Ambassador said the documentary does not merely document events and facts, but also serves as a living human testimony to the suffering of the Palestinian people and the courage of journalists who carried cameras and pens under extraordinary circumstances.

He emphasized that truth deserves to be told and conveyed to the world.

During this war, he added, Palestinian journalists became both witnesses to events and victims of them at the same time, adding that Palestine, and Gaza in particular, has become one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists and media workers.

He stressed that the best way to honor journalists who lost their lives while performing their professional duties is not only to remember their names, but also to continue working for justice, ensure accountability and an end to impunity, and protect press freedom as one of the fundamental pillars of justice and human dignity.

Meanwhile, Palestinian AFP photographer Mahmud Hams, who appears in the documentary, told QNA that the film portrays only part of the suffering endured by journalists in Gaza, both during the current war and previous conflicts, including the dangers they face behind the camera.

He noted that the latest war in Gaza has been among the deadliest conflicts for journalists.

More than 262 Palestinian journalists have been killed during the recent Israeli offensive on Gaza.

The targeting extended beyond individuals to include media institutions, broadcasting and production facilities, telecommunications companies, and infrastructure essential to journalistic work, in what has been described as an attempt to silence the Palestinian narrative and prevent the truth from reaching the world. (QNA)