Narrations and interviews of the documentary film Qana (in order of appearance)
- 00.00
- Qana
- Narration
- 00.12
- Najla Abu Jahjah, the Lebanese reporter sat before my camera and talked about the news report she had made 8 years ago.
- Interview with Najla
- 00.19
- I heard the siren of an ambulance approaching. I thought it was carrying a casualty. I stopped to film it. After a few moments, the ambulance got near. I saw inside of it. It was full of women and children.
- 00.34
- I was filming the helicopters. I turned around for a moment. The missile hit the Ambulance.
- There was a lot of smoke after the explosion. I didn’t see where the car went.
- After a few minutes, someone who had 2 babies in his hug was running towards me.
- 00.59
- The sound of the children’s moaning directed me to the car.
- 01.20
- The sound of the windscreen wipers of that car always echoes in my ear.
- Narration
- 01.26
- Two days after watching this film, we were in Beirut with our group. If massacre and mass killing and destruction could be a good subject for reports, films, and news, Lebanon in 1996 was a suitable place to find it.
- Qana Village in the south of Lebanon, devoid of life, and tired and wounded from tolerating the shells that fall on its houses each day. The people of the village, who find themselves in queue for death, ask help from the United Nations and take refuge in the Fijian UNIFIL compound in their village.
- 02.8
- 12:00 hours, 18 April 1996. In passing through Qana Village, curiosity or the hand of providence take us to the compound of Fijian forces.
- The scent of bread, olive, and tobacco is still smelt from the houses in Qana.
- In order to enter the compound, we have to pass through the rows of Fijian soldiers of UNIFIL, who are supposed to be reliable guardians of the refugees.
- 02.50
- More than 950 people from Qana Village and a few villages near it have sought refuge here in order to be safe from the attack of the Israeli army on their houses. The sense of security prevalent here has created a good morale for the refugees. Although they have left their houses and everything they had, they are contented their families are safe beside them. We talk to many refugees, film their life, and make reports. We leave the compound a few minutes before 2 pm.
- 03.53
- A few minutes later, we hear the frequent reports of shell explosions. The smoke and dust risen into the air show us where the target has been; Qana Compound.
- 04.11
- We return to the compound again. In 8 minutes, 35 shells of 155 mm guns have hit the compound and set fire to everything. The targeting is precise. I am shocked. Everywhere we turn the camera to, we see mutilated bodies.
- 05.01
- The stench of charring and the moaning of people have filled the air. People who are crying, begging for help, or are in pain. Everywhere is full of sounds. The sounds that have not left me even after 8 years.
- 05.32
- The news of massacre in Qana shocked and saddened the whole world. However, the Israelis acted quickly and said the massacre had only been a simple mistake.
- The martyrs of Qana were interred after a few days and we returned to Iran with the pictures we had taken and handed over the report. However, the nightmare of Qana never left me.
- 06.01
- I lived with the images which never left my editing desk for 8 years. People who are still living their normal life in the monitor on my desk. I was curious to find out what has happened to the people who talked to me there and if they were still alive.
- While watching the images again and again, I came across some evidence that proves the massacre in Qana was a calculated and pre-planned event and I had watched these images many times without noticing it. Now I wanted to return to Lebanon for my own curiosity, to see Qana, and to find out the importance of the evidence I had.
- 06.55
- I made up my mind and we set off to Beirut with our team.
- 07.33
- In search of clues, we go to Qana Village again and meet Mohammad Ja’far. He had been the interpreter of the Fijian forces at the time of the massacre. Mohammad Ja’far identifies a few people. However, the first person who indirectly connects us to the survivors of Qana massacre is Samir Oqdeh, the camera operator of NEW TV. He relates his story of the event and says he is happy his camera has been able to save the life of a 4 year old child.
- Interview with Samir Oqdeh
- 08.07
- There were the bodies of 3 children in a corpse sack belonging to the Red Cross.
- I opened the sack and started filming.
- Two of them had their heads facing the other direction. The other was between them the other way round.
- I was panning the camera when one of them moved his eyelid.
- I said immediately, “Is it possible that one of them is alive?” I told the others one of them was alive.
- These are the children I told you about. This is the child who was alive.
- I fixed the image here and zoomed in. His eyelid moved.
- Here.
- He moved his eyelid and I said he was alive.
- Narration
- 08.58
- The child who survived was Hossein Balhas. We search for his address and find out he lives with his grandmother Nawal Borji. We have a lot of images from him in the compound, a few moments before the catastrophe.
- Interview with Hajja Nawal
- 09.16
- They put a rod in his leg. He’s got special shoes too.
- Whenever he goes to school, he puts them on so he wouldn’t stoop while walking.
- Narration
- 09.28
- Hossein lost his mother and his younger brother Hassan in Qana massacre.
- Interview with Hajja Nawal, Contd
- Look. Glory be to God! He was not to die.
- How long was he in the freezer? 2 hours, 2.5 hours.
- Narration
- 09.42
- On the day of the massacre and before we entered the UNIFIL compound, we saw a man who walked the distance between Qana and a nearby village. We found out later his family had sought refuge in the Fijian troops compound. His name is Showqi Balhas.
- Interview with Showqi Balhas
- 10.00
- [My family] told me I had to go with them.
-