Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip as his group held up a white flag, as a cameraman for Britain’s ITV News was filming the incident.
A group of five men in Gaza – amongst others fleeing Israeli occupation forces – were seen in footage this week standing in an area in the city of Khan Yunis holding a white flag and raising their hands, in order to signal to Israeli forces their presence as non-combatants and civilians.
Speaking to ITV News, one of the men – 51-year-old Ramzi Abu Sahloul, a husband and father who sold children’s clothes for a living – said that they were trying to reach his mother and brother to escort them out of the area they were evacuated from, as the Israelis had not enabled them to leave previously.
As the cameraman walked away upon completing the interviews, he turned to capture one last picture of the group, when shots suddenly rang out and caused the men to run. Abu Sahloul collapsed on the ground having been shot in the chest.
As his companions lifted and carried him to safety, the white flag they placed on him was seen turning red with his blood, until his body no longer moved and he was pronounced dead. His widow was seen wailing and mourning his death.
The killing of Abu Sahloul is the latest such shooting of a Palestinian civilian by Israeli forces which has been captured on camera over the past three and a half months of the occupation’s bombardment and invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip.
In response to ITV News’ outreach, the Israeli military denied any existence of “field executions” with a statement saying that “It is imperative to emphasise that the alarming, libelous and a gross mischaracterisation of the war with these despicable accusations can only be deemed as an extension of Hamas’ propaganda effort to defame the IDF and undermine our objective to dismantle Hamas and ensure the terrorist entity never again holds the power to build a terrorist army, invade Israel, murder, burn, rape and abduct Israelis.”
The footage has renewed accusations of war crimes being committed by Israeli occupation forces. While leading charities including Amnesty International and the Norwegian Refugee Council condemned the incident yesterday.
READ: Israeli occupation forces shoot Palestinian at point-blank range
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