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.
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