Gaza: A Palestinian journalist succumbed to his injuries after being shot by Israeli forces while a demonstration on Gaza strip. The photographer associated with Ain Media agency, Yaser Murtaja on Friday was shot in the stomach in Khuza’a, the Palestinian health ministry stated.
The thirty-year-old reporter was hit by a bullet while wearing a blue flak jacket, which indicated the word ‘Press’ written on it. Hosam Salem, a photographer and an eyewitness to the scene told Al Jazeera that he saw Murtaja drop to the ground after being shot by Israeli forces. “Yaser was filming with his camera next to me when we heard the sound of gunfire,” Salem said. “He just fell on the ground and said, ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot.'”
#صور .. لحظة اصابة الصحفي خليل ابوعاذرة، اثناء تغطيته لأحداث #مسيرة_العودة_الكبرى شرق غزة، أمس. pic.twitter.com/OB82uIbNvD
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) April 7, 2018
According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, seven other journalists were wounded during Friday’s protest. They called it “deliberate crimes committed by the Israeli army”.
The Israeli army refused the allegations stating, “It does not intend to shoot at journalists, and the circumstances in which journalists were allegedly injured by [the Israeli army] gunfire are unknown and are being investigated”.
Till now a total of 31 Palestinians have been shot dead since March 30. Palestinians are demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees through a peaceful protest along Gaza strip.
Israel forces had fired rubber-coated steel bullet and used tear gas at demonstrators in order to push them. Apart from those being killed, over 1,400 people have been so far wounded.