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LA STAMPA

Lights, Camera, Hamas: Palestinian Militants Shooting Film

In southern Gaza, A “Hamas Hollywood” is starting taking shape, just in time for Ramadan.

Jerusalem's narrow alleyways were recreated for the film
Jerusalem's narrow alleyways were recreated for the film
Fabio Scuto

KHAN YUNIS — A small group of Orthodox Jews walks in the narrow streets of Jerusalem's old town, protected by Israeli border police armed with M16s. They pass by Arabs who hurl rocks and insults at them. Shopkeepers rush to put their wares away and close up before violence erupts.

This scene isn't real: These streets are not in Jerusalem but in the southern Gaza area of Khan Yunis, which is controlled by the Islamist militia Hamas. A crane rapidly lowers a camera to film the scene. Hamas has built a film set in the abandoned ruins of Ganney-Tal, a former Jewish settlement, for their new TV production called Shhh. Watching TV during the month of Ramadan is a tradition across the Arab world, and the series will go on air on May 27 in time for this year's holy month.

The old city of Jerusalem — Photo: Sarah Tz

An opportunity for Hamas to present its own interpretation of history.

Instead of turning to Ramadan TV dramas from Turkey or Egypt, Hamas is now funding its own media arm, Al-Aqsa TV, to produce the first film in Gaza. Filming in Jerusalem was impossible due to political issues so the city's old quarter was recreated amid the sand dunes of southern Gaza. Every detail has been replicated, from shop stalls in narrow alleyways to villagers speaking in Hebrew and Arabic, and the ubiquitous security checks by Israeli police and soldiers. "We've tried to simulate the real Jerusalem on a small scale," says Mohammed Thoraya, general manager of Al-Aqsa TV.

The ultimate destiny of Jerusalem and its holy sites is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Israeli conquest of the city and its religious sites 50 years ago still inflames passions across the region. Palestinians claim the city as the capital of their future independent state, and the dramatic production is an attractive opportunity for Hamas to present its own interpretation of history. "Heaven's Gate will demonstrate the steadfastness of Jerusalemites and their love for their land in the face of Zionist occupation," says Zouhir Al-Efrengi, the director.

All of the actors and producers in Heaven's Gate hail from Gaza, and most of them have never set foot in Jerusalem. The screenwriters watched old movies filmed in Jerusalem's Old City to help shape the script. Hamas is keeping the film budget a secret, but the crane and the professional filming equipment belie a significant outlay. The actors are paid little — from $4 a day for extras to $9 for starring roles — but the youngsters turning up to play orthodox Jews and Israeli policemen are here for the opportunity to take part in the production, not for the wages.

While the plot of Heaven's Gate is still under wraps, it's not difficult to discern the narrative that Hamas wants to present. In the decade since it wrested control of Gaza in 2007, the group has fought three wars with Israel and remains officially committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. These are the themes it seeks to transmit through its media wing.

Frequent power outages and an amateur talent pool make filming in Gaza difficult; one scene in Heaven's Gate required 19 takes due to rolling blackouts. Gaza's small film industry is forging ahead despite these challenges. But like both showbiz and politics, success is never guaranteed.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

That Man In Mariupol: Is Putin Using A Body Double To Avoid Public Appearances?

Putin really is meeting with Xi in Moscow — we know that. But there are credible experts saying that the person who showed up in Mariupol the day before was someone else — the latest report that the Russian president uses a doppelganger for meetings and appearances.

screen grab of Putin in a dark down jacket

During the visit to Mariupol, the Presidential office only released screen grabs of a video

Russian President Press Office/TASS via ZUMA
Anna Akage

Have no doubt, the Vladimir Putin we’re seeing alongside Xi Jinping this week is the real Vladimir Putin. But it’s a question that is being asked after a range of credible experts have accused the Russian president of sending a body double for a high-profile visit this past weekend in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

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Reports and conspiracy theories have circulated in the past about the Russian leader using a stand-in because of health or security issues. But the reaction to the Kremlin leader's trip to Mariupol is the first time that multiple credible sources — including those who’ve spent time with him in the past — have cast doubt on the identity of the man who showed up in the southeastern Ukrainian city that Russia took over last spring after a months-long siege.

Russian opposition politician Gennady Gudkov is among those who confidently claim that a Putin look-alike, or rather one of his look-alikes, was in the Ukrainian city.

"Now that there is a war going on, I don't rule out the possibility that someone strongly resembling or disguised as Putin is playing his role," Gudkov said.

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