An Israeli tank crew that killed a Reuters cameraman could not see he was a journalist, the military said.
In its first official remarks on the April 16 killing of a Palestinan cameraman working for the British news agency in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said Wednesday that Fadel Shana, 23, had been too far away from the tank – about a mile – for the gunner to be able to notice his journalist’s insignia.
The incident took place hours after three Israeli soldiers were killed in a clash with Hamas gunmen in central Gaza, though Shana’s footage does not appear to show fighting at the time when he was hit by a tank shell.
Reuters urged the Israeli military to complete a formal investigation of the killing.
