A Palestinian man told Reuters on Wednesday (April 11) that he was the person whose shooting by an Israeli sniper was captured on a leaked video, sparking international criticism of Israel’s response to the Gaza border protests.
Tamer Abu Daqqa lives in the southern Gaza Strip. A photograph of Abu Daqqa showed him on a hospital gurney, wearing a jacket and shirt that appeared to match those of the person shot in the video. His medical records describe a live bullet wound to the leg — which appeared to correspond to the army’s account of its sniper’s target in the fence incident.
“I was standing with other people when I was hit in my leg, I was not throwing stones or anything,” Abu Daqqa told Reuters. “They shot me and later they laughed at me.”
Israeli Soldiers Cheer Shooting
In the 81-second video, after the man falls to the ground, Israeli soldiers are heard cheering in the background.
“Son of a bitch!” one soldier, who appears to have recorded the video, yells. “What a legendary film! I haven’t seen this kind of thing for a long time.”
The video, which circulated on social media, appears to be through a scope, showing the Gaza border fence and a field behind it.
Israel Defence Forces said in a statement that the video was filmed on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, during “a violent riot.” The IDF also said “relevant commanders” would conduct a full inquiry.
Cheering ‘Will Be Dealt’ With by Israeli Commanders
The military said that the cheering heard in the video “[does] not suit the degree of restraint expected of IDF soldiers and will be dealt by commanders accordingly.”
The Israeli military has stationed sharpshooters to enforce a no-go zone near the border and stop Palestinian attempts to breach the fence during a protest that has been called “The Great March of Return.” Thirty protesters have been killed, Reuters reported.
You can read “Palestinian in Israeli sniper video denies instigating violence” on Reuters at this link.
Here is the link to CNN’s report on the shooting video and reaction to it. Warning: the video is graphic.
