During the filming of the documentary, 31 bodies were discovered in mass graves in the courtyards of the Al Shifa Hospital.

The first cinematic screening of the “Al Shifa Hospital…The crimes they tried to bury,” documentary offers a raw, firsthand account from Palestinians who witnessed the devastating Israeli raid on the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital complex.

The documentary is produced by the newly launched Al Jazeera 360 platform, which is set to officially launch in September.

“The documentary is a snapshot of history and of the ongoing genocide that’s been going on in Gaza since October 7,” Awad Joumaa, the head of Original Content AJ360 told Doha News.

The 45-minute documentary featured no input from journalists, directors, or scriptwriters. Instead, it was filled with exclusive survivor testimonies from the raid, which lasted from March 18 to early April.

“What’s different about this film, and that was the intention from the day we decided we’re going to do this, is to document what’s happening through the voices of the people,” Joumaa explained.

“And of course, that was rather traumatic experience for the people. Imagine you were in a place where murders took place and you have to go back and re-narrate what’s happening.”

The testimonies from survivors recounted Israeli acts of killing, destruction, torture, starvation, and arrest. The complex was completely gutted, and several of its buildings were burned by Israeli forces.

“It’s a very raw. [It features] people who survived the genocide and specifically the people who survived the 14 days of the massacres inside Shifa Hospital,” Joumaa added.

Due to its first account narration, the documentary could serve as a vital legal document for international institutions to consider when addressing the Israeli war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.

“We hope that as journalists we can be part of documenting the atrocities that is happening in Gaza,” Al Joumaa said.

“We hope and aspire that the international community and the various international organisations take into consideration the testimonies of these people.”

During an open dialogue session post-screening, the executive producer of the film Mohammed al-Adly pointed out the film’s translation into English, French, and Spanish, in order to ensure global dissemination and to amplify the voices of Palestinians.

Al-Adly also went on to express the filmmakers’ intent to submit the documentary as evidence of Israel’s genocide to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The film was shot with one of the few cameras available around Al Shifa Hospital.

During the filming of the documentary, 31 bodies were discovered in mass graves in the court yards of the Al Shifa Hospital.

After the filming, another grave containing 49 bodies was discovered.

More than 37,000 people have been killed by Israel since the start of the war. Almost all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population are displaced.

The event was attended by evacuated patients and medical staff from the Shifa Medical Complex, who received a standing ovation at the end of the screening.