The Israeli military said Wednesday that initial findings from its investigation into the killing of a Reuters news agency cameraman indicated that troops did not realize they were firing at a journalist, the Associated Press (AP) has reported.
Palestinian cameraman Fadel Shana, 23, was killed April 16 by tank fire while covering fighting between Israeli troops and Gaza militants. His colleague Wafa Abu Mizyed was wounded. Just before his death, Shana was filming an Israeli tank in the distance, and his final footage shows it firing a shell in his direction.
Other cameramen who rushed to the scene said they saw the Reuters vehicle on fire, and Shana's body lying next to it. They said the vehicle was marked as "press" and that the cameraman was wearing a flak jacket also emblazoned with the word "press."
The military announced last week it was launching an investigation after New York-based group Human Rights Watch said its own inquiries found evidence that the tank crew fired either recklessly or deliberately.
Maj Avital Leibovich, an army spokeswoman, ruled out any intent to harm journalists. "The initial investigation showed they were not identified as members of the press," she said Wednesday. She did not wish to comment further, as the inquiry was ongoing.
