Last update - 21:12 05/07/2007
Cameraman repeatedly shot while filming Gaza clashes
By Avi Issacharoff and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
A Palestinian cameraman was seriously wounded Thursday while documenting clashes between Palestinian militants and Israel Defense Forces troops in central Gaza, during which at least eleven militants were killed and two IDF soldiers were wounded.
Though the origin of the gunfire cannot be confirmed, it was apparently IDF soldiers who fired repeatedly at the camera operator, while Al-Jazeera cameras documented the incident.
Al Jazeera footage showed Imad Ranem, a cameraman for the Hamas' Al Aqsa television network, lying on the ground, after being hit, with his camera thrown beside him. He could then be seen getting shot twice more while lying on the ground. Medical sources in Gaza reported that both his legs had later been amputated and he is in critical condition.
An IDF source said Thursday that Ranem had been in the first line of fire and was not wearing a vest indicating he was a member of the press. The source added that the man was probably not a card-carrying reporter, because his footage would probably be used for Hamas propaganda, not news.
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