Hurndall was hit in the forehead by a high-velocity bullet fired by an Israeli soldier as he worked as a peace activist in the Gaza Strip 20 months ago. The bullet entered cleanly enough, but then splintered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Hurndall never regained consciousness, dying nine months later and 2,200 miles away in a London hospital. ..
It is a concern that has refused to fade away. An Observer investigation into the shooting has uncovered allegations of missing evidence, fabricated testimony and a military cover-up.
Disquiet is mounting among British government officials whose repeated requests for evidence that could determine if Hurndall was shot deliberately have been rejected. The missing documents, understood to include an Israeli military police inquiry, could mean a manslaughter charge for the man who shot Hurndall being upgraded to murder.
In addition, the North London coroner, Dr Andrew Reid, whose inquest into Hurndall's death has been adjourned until the trial is over, has said he is 'outraged' that an agreement to share vital evidence with Israeli authorities was broken...
Last Friday, however, the nine-month trial took another twist, with the events of 11 April 2003, now threatening to suck in the entire chain of command of the Israeli Defence Force, as well as provoking new questions over their handling of the intifada.
Senior officers, including the brigadier in command of the southern region of the Gaza Strip, are now preparing to face three weeks' cross-examination. Sergeant Wahid Taysir, the sniper who killed Hurndall, has already said a policy of shooting at unarmed civilians existed at the time...
As Hurndall wandered among the ruins of Rafah on the day he died, foremost on his mind was Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American activist who had been crushed to death by an Israeli armoured bulldozer a month earlier. He wanted to photograph the bulldozer, which had returned for the first time since her death.
The young photographer had joined a group of peace volunteers known as the International Solidarity Movement. Just after 5pm, gunfire from a military watchtower 60 metres away raked over an exposed patch of land near the border. A group of children playing on a mound of earth froze in terror.
Days earlier, Hurndall had seen a youngster shot. Fearing the worse, he ran through the line of fire and dragged Salem Baroum to safety. Then he went back for two girls. Witnesses recall a single crack of gunfire, then saw him stagger and fall. Hurndall then slipped into the coma in which he would remain until January 2004.
In his original testimony, Taysir claimed he had shot at a man in military fatigues who was firing at the soldiers with a pistol, in the no-go security zone. Later evidence, however, challenged his version. Photos clearly show Hurndall wearing a bright orange jacket denoting he was a foreigner; the graffiti that can be seen behind him is 100m from the secure zone.
Hurndall's death has also raised the issue of whether young and stressed men should even be on the front line. Taysir is even younger than Hurndall and has admitted to being highly stressed as he patrolled a region suspected of harbouring Pales tinian terrorists.
Taysir was an award-winning marksman and his rifle had a telescopic sight. He claimed to have aimed four inches from Hurndall's head, 'but he moved'.
Another Israeli solder has already been jailed after he admitted lying to investigators. Yet it is the missing evidence that continues to frustrate those attempting to piece together the events that led to Hurndall's death. So far, only a 20-page report by the IDF has been released, of which there are only four cursory references to Hurndall. Attempts by the Foreign Office to secure the potentially vital documents have failed.
Last week saw fresh allegations of obstruction, denied by the Israeli authorities, after the Hurndalls' lawyer, Avigdor Fernland, said his permit allowing him access to IDF evidence had been revoked.
Those who have studied the Hurndall case are aware that the trial only ever came about because of an investigation by Hurndall's father, Anthony, who left his job as a City lawyer to interview 13 witnesses. Their evidence formed the main tranche of a 50-page report challenging the Israeli version of events.