A documentary investigating the shooting of children in Gaza by Israeli soldiers emerged as one of the biggest winners at this year's News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
Kids Under Fire, part of the long-running investigative series Fault Lines, took home the prize for Outstanding War or Violence Conflict Coverage and Outstanding Writing: News at the event in New York.
Released in March 2025, the documentary, by Al Jazeera English, examines a disturbing subset of child deaths during the Gaza war – children arriving at trauma centres with gunshot wounds. According to the film, more than 16,000 children have been killed in the enclave since October 2023, most in Israeli strikes. However, doctors working in Gaza reported repeatedly treating children with gunshot wounds, often with similar injuries.
The documentary investigates those cases through testimony from American healthcare workers who served in Gaza and witnessed the incidents first-hand. It also follows the story of four-year-old Mira Al Darini, who was shot in the head outside her family's tent in Khan Younis. She survived after being treated by Dr Mimi Syed during her first medical mission to Gaza.
The film argues that Mira's case was not isolated. American doctors interviewed in the documentary describe treating dozens of children with comparable injuries. They also examine evidence linking the shootings to Israeli military operations, which the film notes have been heavily supported by US funding.
The Fault Lines series, which focuses on conflict, human rights, politics and social issues around the world, has won several Emmy, Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. Kids Under Fire had already won several awards, including the Yu Young-gil Award at South Korea's Hinzpeter Awards, which recognise journalism focused on human rights and democracy.
Accepting one of the awards, Fault Lines correspondent Josh Rushing delivered an emotional speech to honour journalists killed in Gaza while also criticising US support for Israel.
"The irony of accepting an award for covering a genocide in the very country that enables that genocide to have happened and continued, should not be lost here," he said. "I want to dedicate this to the 11 Al Jazeera journalists, 11 colleagues, who have been killed by Israel since October 7 in Gaza. And to their 270 colleagues, journalists, who had been killed in Gaza since October 7."
Rushing also paid tribute to doctors who travelled to Gaza to provide medical assistance and later contributed to the documentary. "I want to acknowledge the dozens of doctors who have given up rich, successful lives here to risk everything and go to Gaza and try to help and to realise that maybe the broadsword of the truth and bearing witness is stronger than the scalpel that they bring to the battlefield," he said.
"And they came back and they bore witness in this piece. Because of them, the four-year-old little girl, Mira, who had a bullet lodged in her brain in our film is today in Mexico City, receiving help with her mother, Isra, who lost her leg while we were filming this."
Rushing added that "these are dark days" for journalism, with some outlets "collapsing under the financial pressures". "But I have to tell you, I have to implore you to keep up the good fight, the good fight for the truth, the good fight for humanity, because there is no free people without a free press," he added. "So keep up the good fight."
The News and Documentary Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and recognise excellence in television journalism and documentary filmmaking. First established in 1980, the awards have become one of the highest honours in broadcast news and documentary production. This year marked the 47th edition of the ceremony.
Gaza-related reporting featured prominently across the list of winners, collecting at least six awards across four productions. NBC News's Filmed in Gaza won the accolades for both Outstanding Video Journalism: News and Outstanding Editing: News. CNN's Jeremy Diamond presses Hamas official on suffering in Gaza received the award for Outstanding Interview: Short Form, while CBS News's The War in Gaza, broadcast by 60 Minutes, won Outstanding Hard News Report: Short Form.
