Fadel Shana'a
Encyclopedia
Fadel Shana'a was a Palestinian
journalist working as a cameraman for Reuters
. He was killed, along with eight other noncombatants, by a flechette
shell fired by an Israel
i tank
in the Gaza Strip
.
Shana'a's video footage shows the tank firing, and a glimpse of the incoming shell, before going black at the moment of impact. Reuters chief David Schlesinger
called for an investigation, as did Human Rights Watch
, whose Middle East director stated, "Israeli soldiers did not make sure they were aiming at a military target before firing, and there is evidence suggesting they actually targeted the journalists.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
denounced the killing as a deliberate war crime
. Israel released a statement saying "The IDF wishes to emphasize that unlike terrorist organizations, not only does it not deliberately target uninvolved civilians, it also uses means to avoid such incidents...Reports claiming the opposite are false and misleading." On 13 August it was reported that the IDF had closed an investigation into the death of Fadel Shana'a, Reuters cameraman, without taking disciplinary action against the tank crew that killed him.
The army found that troops acted properly when they opened fire on Fadel Shana'a, suspecting he was a terrorist preparing to fire a missile after he set up a tripod in a Gaza battle zone. Shana'a was killed instantly by a tank shell that sprays a hail of metal darts at its target. Four bystanders also died in the attack.
"In light of the reasonable conclusion reached by the tank crew and its superiors, that the characters were hostile and were carrying an object most likely to be a weapon, the decision to fire at the targets ... was sound," Brig. Gen. Avihai Mandelblit, the IDF's top prosecutor, said in a letter sent to Reuters. The news agency made the letter public on Wednesday.
In a statement issued at its London headquarters, Reuters said the army probe could effectively give soldiers a "free hand to kill," without being sure of the identity of their targets.
"I'm extremely disappointed that this report condones a disproportionate use of deadly force in a situation the army itself admitted had not been analyzed clearly," said David Schlesinger, Reuters' editor in chief. "They would appear to take the view that any raising of a camera into position could garner a deadly response."
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
journalist working as a cameraman for Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
. He was killed, along with eight other noncombatants, by a flechette
Flechette
A flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
shell fired by an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
.
Shana'a's video footage shows the tank firing, and a glimpse of the incoming shell, before going black at the moment of impact. Reuters chief David Schlesinger
David Schlesinger
David Schlesinger is Chairman, Thomson Reuters China, representing the company at a senior level and spotting opportunities for businesses across the group...
called for an investigation, as did Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, whose Middle East director stated, "Israeli soldiers did not make sure they were aiming at a military target before firing, and there is evidence suggesting they actually targeted the journalists.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is a nongovernmental organization based in the Jabalia Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Al Mezan was chartered "to promote, protect and prevent violations of human rights in general and economic, social and cultural rights in particular, to provide...
denounced the killing as a deliberate war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
. Israel released a statement saying "The IDF wishes to emphasize that unlike terrorist organizations, not only does it not deliberately target uninvolved civilians, it also uses means to avoid such incidents...Reports claiming the opposite are false and misleading." On 13 August it was reported that the IDF had closed an investigation into the death of Fadel Shana'a, Reuters cameraman, without taking disciplinary action against the tank crew that killed him.
The army found that troops acted properly when they opened fire on Fadel Shana'a, suspecting he was a terrorist preparing to fire a missile after he set up a tripod in a Gaza battle zone. Shana'a was killed instantly by a tank shell that sprays a hail of metal darts at its target. Four bystanders also died in the attack.
"In light of the reasonable conclusion reached by the tank crew and its superiors, that the characters were hostile and were carrying an object most likely to be a weapon, the decision to fire at the targets ... was sound," Brig. Gen. Avihai Mandelblit, the IDF's top prosecutor, said in a letter sent to Reuters. The news agency made the letter public on Wednesday.
In a statement issued at its London headquarters, Reuters said the army probe could effectively give soldiers a "free hand to kill," without being sure of the identity of their targets.
"I'm extremely disappointed that this report condones a disproportionate use of deadly force in a situation the army itself admitted had not been analyzed clearly," said David Schlesinger, Reuters' editor in chief. "They would appear to take the view that any raising of a camera into position could garner a deadly response."
External links
- Palestinian journalist killed by metal darts from Israeli shell - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Tank shell that sprays deadly darts killed cameraman in Gaza, say doctors - The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Thousands attend funeral of slain Gaza journalist - Electronic IntifadaElectronic IntifadaThe Electronic Intifada is a not-for-profit, independent online publication which covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective, "aimed at combating the pro-Israeli, pro-American spin" its editors believe exists in mainstream media accounts.-History:EI was founded by Ali...