The general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists accused Israeli authorities of “fabricating lies to justify murder” in the case of a Palestinian journalist who was killed last Friday during protests in Gaza. Others have called into question Israel’s assertions on Wednesday that Yaser Murtaja was a Hamas member.



Murtaja, a 30-year-old photographer and cameraman, was killed near Khan Yunis during the second Friday of the Palestinian “Great March of Return” on the Gaza border. He was wearing a blue journalist-style flak jacket marked with the word “press.”

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Murtaja was flying a drone near the border. However, Palestinians present claimed that journalists were targeted by IDF snipers during the clashes and that he did not use his drone that day. MKs MKs Ksenia Svetlova and Zouheir Bahloul called for an investigation and the IDF said it was looking into the incident.Murtaja was well-known in Gaza and he was the co-founder of Ain Media. He had a drone and had posted video from it on March 30. In the past he worked with locals and international media, including Al Jazeera.Norwegian Refugee Council secretary-general Jan Egeland told The Guardian that Murtaja was a “civilian and a journalist.” The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities to “hold to account anyone who shot journalists with live ammunition.”On Tuesday, unnamed Israeli security officials told Walla that Murtaja was a Hamas activist and active in the Hamas “security apparatus’s work on a daily basis” to help the terrorist organization with intelligence gathering. Prime Minister’s Office spokesmen Ofir Gendelman and David Keyes both tweeted that Murtaja was not only on the Hamas payroll since 2011 but that he held the rank of captain and had a “prior association with the military wing [the Izzadin Kassam Brigades].”The International Federation of Journalists disputes this and alleges that “Israeli soldiers murdered a journalist,” and the “defense minister is more interested in spouting propaganda and engaging in a cover-up than in carrying out a thorough and transparent investigation.”A NEW TWIST emerged on Thursday when it was revealed that the US Agency for International Development provided a $11,700 grant to Ain Media in March. Reuters reported that the grant was for technical assistance and equipment, and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert indicated Murtaja had been “vetted” under department guidelines. However, she didn’t provide the specifics of the case. An inquiry to USAID was not answered by press time.This raises two distinct questions. If Murtaja was a Hamas officer and using equipment to gather intelligence against Israel, then that would indicate that major NGOs and the US had erred greatly in working with him. Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist, also worked with Murtaja and wrote about him on Instagram after his death.Israel has sought in the past to spotlight NGOs accused of working with Hamas. A manager for World Vision was detained in 2016. Earlier this year Israel also indicted a member of a Turkish humanitarian aid group in Gaza, accusing him of financing Hamas’s military wing. However, public inquiries about Murtaja’s work had not been raised before his death.The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said that Murtaja’s “double role as a media man and Hamas operative is part of a well-known phenomenon.” It said that an examination of 17 people killed in the 2014 war in Gaza (Operation Protective Edge) who were said to be journalists revealed that eight of them “belonged to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”Funeral held for Palestinian journalist killed in Israel-Gaza protests, April 7, 2018 (Reuters)However the International Federation of Journalists claims that in 2015, Murtaja was actually a victim of Hamas. According to an AFP report, while filming near the border he was detained by Hamas security members and beaten to the extent that he required hospitalization. The Israeli security sources speaking to Walla contend that 2015 was the same year Murtaja was prevented from bringing a drone into Gaza, allegedly in connection with his work for Hamas. Could it be that he was both a victim of a Hamas beating in 2015 and on its payroll as an officer?On Thursday, Keyes told The Jerusalem Post that Murtaja was 100 percent an officer with Hamas. “I’ve seen the intelligence and there is not one scintilla of doubt about his being an officer in Hamas.”Nevertheless, the story still raises question marks. While Israel has not revealed any proof to its claims, members of Murtaja’s extended family appear to have had associations with Hamas, as revealed by photos of them posted online. Others familiar with the situation in Gaza have pointed out that many people in Gaza are linked to Hamas in some way because Hamas governs the Strip and is active in many layers of society. One person who knew Murtaja dismissed claims he was a terrorist or in any way affiliated with Hamas’s military wing.The question still remains what happened on April 6 when he was killed. Even if he was linked to Hamas, was he killed because of that, or mistakenly shot, or shot due to his proximity to the security fence. The initial claim that he was flying a drone has not been confirmed, leaving many questions about what led to Murtaja’s death and why allegations he was a Hamas member only emerged days later. So the question still remains - who was Yaser Murtaja?

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`; document.getElementById("linkPremium").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ }); </s> A Palestinian journalist was shot and killed by Israeli forces while covering protests along the Israeli border in Gaza late Friday.

Photos show Yasser Murtaja, 31, wearing a "press" vest as he was evacuated during the clashes after being shot. He died of his injuries shortly afterwards.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate report that six journalists, all of whom they say were easily identifiable as press, were shot by Israeli forces firing over the border on Friday, including Murtaja.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces told BuzzFeed News that they were investigating Murtaja's death, but said that journalists were not intentionally targeted. The spokesperson said IDF troops were working to protect the security fence with Israel from Hamas, which they blamed for inciting "tens of thousands" of people to approach and attack the fence, throwing explosives and rocks at soldiers.

"IDF troops are operating in accordance with clear rules of engagement that are tailored to this scenario. The IDF uses means such as warnings, riot dispersal means, and as a last resort firing live rounds in a precise, measured way,” said the spokesperson.

“The IDF does not intentionally target journalists. The circumstances in which journalists were allegedly hit by IDF fire are not familiar to the IDF, and are being looked into," the spokesperson said.

Witnesses told the Associated Press reported Murtaja was shot below the armpit while holding his camera as protesters set fire to tires, resulting in thick black smoke. </s> GAZA – A Palestinian journalist died on Saturday after being wounded by Israeli fire on Friday while covering deadly protests along the Israel-Gaza border, health officials said.

Yaser Murtaja, 30, a cameraman for Palestinian Ain Media, was the 29th Palestinian killed in the week-long protests.

Photos showed Murtaja lying wounded on a stretcher wearing a navy-blue protective vest marked ‘PRESS’ in large black capital letters. Health officials said a live bullet had penetrated the side of his abdomen and he succumbed to his wounds in hospital.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was looking into the incident and could not comment further at this stage.

The daily protests, dubbed “The Great March of Return”, began on March 30 along the Israel-Gaza frontier, reviving a longstanding demand for the right of return of Palestinian refugees to towns and villages from which their families fled, or were driven out, when the state of Israel was created.

Israel has stationed sharpshooters to stop attempts by Palestinians to breach the border or sabotage the security fence.

Freelance photographer Ashraf Abu Amra told Reuters he was next to Murtaja, whom he said was wearing a helmet and protective vest. Abu Amra said they were both clearly marked as journalists.

“We were filming as youths torched tyres. We were about 250 meters from the fence,” said Abu Amra. “Israeli forces opened fire and injuries began. Yaser and I ran to film when suddenly Yaser fell to the ground.

“I screamed to him ‘Yaser are you alright?’. He didn’t respond and there was blood on the ground underneath him. I knew it was a bad injury and people carried him away,” said Abu Amra.

Video footage showed Murtaja being carried to an ambulance with crowds around and black smoke rising from where protesters had set tyres alight, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Murtaja was married with a two-year-old son. Hundreds of mourners, among them many journalists, attended his funeral on Saturday.

His body was covered with a Palestinian flag and his press jacket laid beside him on the stretcher as it was carried through the streets of Gaza City to his home for a last farewell.

“I made him breakfast, he ate quickly, he was in a hurry to go to work,” said Murtaja’s mother, Yusra, recounting the morning of the protest.

“I thought he would recover from his injury, I didn’t expect his death, but God has chosen him as a martyr, thank God,” she said, sitting on the ground as mourners came to the house to pay their respects.

Israel Radio, citing an unnamed source in Gaza, said Murtaja had been operating a camera drone on Friday. Abu Amra and two other Palestinian journalists said Murtaja was not operating a camera drone when shot.

 Murtaja, on his Facebook page, had posted two aerial photos taken at the border in the past week. It was unclear if he had taken them himself.

At least three other journalists were wounded on Friday in other locations, Gaza officials said. There have been no Israeli casualties in the protests.

Israel’s response to the protests has drawn international criticism, with human rights groups saying it involved live fire against demonstrators posing no immediate threat to life.

Israel says it is doing what it must to defend its border and its troops have been responding with riot dispersal means and fire “in accordance with the rules of engagement”.

Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza, says the protests demanding the right of return of refugees will continue.

The Israeli government has ruled out any right of return, fearing the country would lose its Jewish majority.

Israel says many of the dead were militants and that Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the West, is using the protests as cover to launch attacks along the border and ignite the area, while putting Gaza’s civilians at risk. </s> The general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists accused Israeli authorities of “fabricating lies to justify murder” in the case of a Palestinian journalist who was killed last Friday during protests in Gaza. Others have called into question Israel’s assertions on Wednesday that Yaser Murtaja was a Hamas member.



Murtaja, a 30-year-old photographer and cameraman, was killed near Khan Yunis during the second Friday of the Palestinian “Great March of Return” on the Gaza border. He was wearing a blue journalist-style flak jacket marked with the word “press.”





Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Murtaja was flying a drone near the border. However, Palestinians present claimed that journalists were targeted by IDF snipers during the clashes and that he did not use his drone that day. MK Zouheir Bahloul called for an investigation and the IDF said it was looking into the incident.Murtaja was well-known in Gaza and he was the co-founder of Ain Media. He had a drone and had posted video from it on March 30. In the past he worked with locals and international media, including Al Jazeera.Norwegian Refugee Council secretary-general Jan Egeland told The Guardian that Murtaja was a “civilian and a journalist.” The Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities to “hold to account anyone who shot journalists with live ammunition.”On Tuesday, unnamed Israeli security officials told Walla that Murtaja was a Hamas activist and active in the Hamas “security apparatus’s work on a daily basis” to help the terrorist organization with intelligence gathering. Prime Minister’s Office spokesmen Ofir Gendelman and David Keyes both tweeted that Murtaja was not only on the Hamas payroll since 2011 but that he held the rank of captain and had a “prior association with the military wing [the Izzadin Kassam Brigades].”The International Federation of Journalists disputes this and alleges that “Israeli soldiers murdered a journalist,” and the “defense minister is more interested in spouting propaganda and engaging in a cover-up than in carrying out a thorough and transparent investigation.”A NEW TWIST emerged on Thursday when it was revealed that the US Agency for International Development provided a $11,700 grant to Ain Media in March. Reuters reported that the grant was for technical assistance and equipment, and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert indicated Murtaja had been “vetted” under department guidelines. However, she didn’t provide the specifics of the case. An inquiry to USAID was not answered by press time.This raises two distinct questions. If Murtaja was a Hamas officer and using equipment to gather intelligence against Israel, then that would indicate that major NGOs and the US had erred greatly in working with him. Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist, also worked with Murtaja and wrote about him on Instagram after his death.Israel has sought in the past to spotlight NGOs accused of working with Hamas. A manager for World Vision was detained in 2016. Earlier this year Israel also indicted a member of a Turkish humanitarian aid group in Gaza, accusing him of financing Hamas’s military wing. However, public inquiries about Murtaja’s work had not been raised before his death.The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said that Murtaja’s “double role as a media man and Hamas operative is part of a well-known phenomenon.” It said that an examination of 17 people killed in the 2014 war in Gaza (Operation Protective Edge) who were said to be journalists revealed that eight of them “belonged to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”Funeral held for Palestinian journalist killed in Israel-Gaza protests, April 7, 2018 (Reuters)However the International Federation of Journalists claims that in 2015, Murtaja was actually a victim of Hamas. According to an AFP report, while filming near the border he was detained by Hamas security members and beaten to the extent that he required hospitalization. The Israeli security sources speaking to Walla contend that 2015 was the same year Murtaja was prevented from bringing a drone into Gaza, allegedly in connection with his work for Hamas. Could it be that he was both a victim of a Hamas beating in 2015 and on its payroll as an officer?On Thursday, Keyes told The Jerusalem Post that Murtaja was 100 percent an officer with Hamas. “I’ve seen the intelligence and there is not one scintilla of doubt about his being an officer in Hamas.”Nevertheless, the story still raises question marks. While Israel has not revealed any proof to its claims, members of Murtaja’s extended family appear to have had associations with Hamas, as revealed by photos of them posted online. Others familiar with the situation in Gaza have pointed out that many people in Gaza are linked to Hamas in some way because Hamas governs the Strip and is active in many layers of society. One person who knew Murtaja dismissed claims he was a terrorist or in any way affiliated with Hamas’s military wing.The question still remains what happened on April 6 when he was killed. Even if he was linked to Hamas, was he killed because of that, or mistakenly shot, or shot due to his proximity to the security fence. The initial claim that he was flying a drone has not been confirmed, leaving many questions about what led to Murtaja’s death and why allegations he was a Hamas member only emerged days later. So the question still remains - who was Yaser Murtaja? </s> Hundreds gathered in Gaza City Saturday for the funeral of Palestinian journalist Yasser Murtaja, who was killed by Israeli fire at protests at the Gaza-Israel border on Friday.

Murtaja died in the hospital after being shot by IDF fire whilst covering the second week of the Great Return March protests. His death brings the total number of casualties from Friday to 10.

READ MORE: Great Return March: 10 Palestinian protesters killed after IDF fire on Gaza border (VIDEOS)

Murtaja was wearing a press flak jacket and holding his camera when he was shot in the side of his abdomen in the town of Khuzaa. He was among six Palestinian journalists reported wounded by gunfire on Friday. Photographs of Murtaja being treated after he was shot show him wearing a press jacket.

“We were filming as youths torched tyres.” photographer Ashraf Abu Amra told Reuters. “We were about 250 meters from the fence. Israeli forces opened fire and injuries began. Yaser and I ran to film when suddenly Yaser fell to the ground.”

Murtaja was a photojournalist and filmmaker with Ain Media, which he co-founded. It creates work used by international media clients like the BBC and Al Jazeera. His shooting and subsequent death was announced by journalism groups including the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, The Gaza Center for Media Freedom, and Reporters without Borders.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was among the hundreds at the funeral Saturday. Meanwhile, dozens of journalists gathered in Manara Square in Ramallah in the West Bank to protest Murtaja’s death, the WAFA News Agency reported.

RT has contacted the IDF for comment about Murtaja’s death and reports that it fired at members of the media. An Israeli Army spokesperson told the Times of Israel it had no immediate comment on the issue.

Two weeks before he died, Murtaja shared a drone image of Gaza’s sea on Facebook, writing, “I wished I could take this photo from the sky, not from land. My name is Yasser Murtaja, I am 30 years old. I live in Gaza City. I have never traveled.”

The Great Return March is planned to continue up until the anniversary of the ‘Nakba’ on May 15, which Palestinians call the mass exodus from their land during the establishment of the state of Israel. Israelis celebrate this as Independence Day. Gaza is home to 2 million residents, many of them refugees expelled from Israel, who maintain the hope that their right to return will one day be granted.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! </s> Last Friday, an Israeli sniper killed Yaser Murtaja, 30, one of six Palestinian journalists shot that day. Yesterday the Israeli Prime Minister 's office and Defense Minister sought to smear Murtaja as a terrorist.The claim featured a photograph of Murtaja with a drone, taken from his own Facebook page. Murtaja proudly worked as a photographer with drones. His famous recent Facebook entry, in which he said he dreamed of leaving Gaza, featured a drone image.International media is rallying to Yaser Murtaja's side: notably the Washington Post, the Guardian -- "Gaza photographer's last video captures brutal crackdown on protests" -- and the New Yorker, whose piece on Murtaja's death yesterday, titled, "Watching a Fellow-Journalist Die in Gaza," didn't even lower itself to quote the Israeli hasbara.The Gaza killings are thus proving to be a landmark event in Israel's isolation, as mainstream American voices cease to give any credence to the right-wing government's (pathetic) self-justifications. Compare this to Israel's defense of killing nine people aboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010. It got a willing audience for its claims that its commandos, descending by rope on to a ship deck at night, were endangered by international aid activists."Lieberman provided no evidence to support his claims," Haaretz reports It notes that Ain, the Gaza media group Murtaja co-founded in 2012, which worked with many international media organizations, lately was approved for a grant of $11,700 from the U.S. AID to promote private sector development in Gaza.Morris of the Washington Post also has that story. While at the New Yorker, Yamine Al-Sayyad has posted a rivetting piece about Murtaja's achievements, based on an interview with Rushdi al-Sarraj, co-founder of AIN, who was with him as he was shot and died.The Committee to Protect Journalists two days ago denounced Lieberman and called for an investigation of Murtaja's killing and the wounding of five other journalists.The Israeli government is not speaking with one voice. The Israeli army says that it is investigating the circumstances of the shootings of Murtaja and other journalists. "Asked about the IDF killing of journalist Yasser Murtaja in Gaza, Israeli Communications Minister Ayoub Kara responded: 'innocent people die in war,'" Mike Omer-Man of +972 reports Murtaja's Facebook feed is an often-heart-stirring window on an active journalistic career.While Ain Media's Facebook page has many images of international support: from a demonstration protesting Murtaja's killing in London, and a candlelight vigil in Portland, Oregon, to celebrate Murtaja's life.There was also this memorial in New York on April 9.And this commemoration in Taksim Square Istanbul. Video from the Portland vigil features a tearful Gazan, Nour AlGhussein, remembering her close friend working tirelessly as a journalist.AlGhussein says she didn't talk for days after learning of her friend's death.Murtaja had lately agreed to shoot footage for the Norwegian Refugee Council. In 2014, Ain was said to have worked with "the Muslim Hands, Maan Development Centre, Palestinian Housing Council, Al Tale'a Institution, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Partners for Peace & Development for Palestinians, The Holy Land School & Kindergarten, Interpal, Islam channel, If charity, The Islamic University of Gaza & The University College of Applied sciences."Thanks to Allison Deger. </s> Palestinians killed in conflict with Israeli forces are often wrapped in their national or party flags, but there was something different about Yasser Murtaja's body ahead of his Saturday burial.

Resting on the journalist's chest was a flak jacket marked PRESS, possibly the one he was wearing the day before when he was shot dead at the Gaza border, apparently by an Israeli sniper.

Dozens of journalists, many fighting back tears, followed the body of the 30-year-old father as it was carried from the hospital to his home late Saturday morning.

His serene face exposed and body wrapped in the Palestinian flag, the flak jacket lay on his lifeless chest.

Murtaja was one of nine Palestinians killed as Israeli troops shot at thousands of stone-throwing protesters in five spots along the border Friday, a week after 19 people were killed during similar demonstrations.

His killing will likely increase calls for Israel to investigate the deaths, with photos taken at the scene indicating he was wearing a press vest when he was shot.

Murtaja, who was well known in the local media scene, worked for the relatively small Gaza-based Al-Ain media production company, specialising in documentaries.

His brother Mutasim, also a journalist who was with him Friday, said Murtaja was photographing a number of protesters burning tyres when he was shot.

"Yasser went forward to take the true pictures to show the world," he told AFP.

"Then the bullet hit him in his stomach."

The Israeli army said in a statement it "does not intentionally target journalists."

"The circumstances in which journalists were allegedly hit by Israeli Defence Force (IDF) fire are not familiar to the IDF, and are being looked into."

- 'Up in the air' -

Murtaja recently worked on a documentary about the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas, which was shown on Al-Jazeera Arabic.

But he also focused on other topics, where frequently used drones, which seem to have been something of an escape from life in Gaza.

The Palestinian enclave has been under an Israeli blockade for a decade, while Egypt has all but sealed its border in recent years as well -- leaving the Strip's two million residents effectively locked in.

"My name is Yasser Murtaja, I am 30 years old, live in Gaza City and have never travelled," the journalist said in a March post on Facebook accompanying one of his drone photos from high above Gaza.

"Today I take a shot and I am up in the air, not on the ground."

Hind Khoudary, a friend and fellow journalist, said he was "a beautiful person both inside and out".

"His reputation with everyone was as someone very kind," she added, tears welling in her eyes.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, whose group Israel and the United States consider a terrorist organisation, attended the funeral and eulogised Murtaja.

The journalist's friends and family insisted he was independent of any political party.

Israel has accused Hamas of orchestrating the protests and using them as an excuse to carry out attacks.

Haniya often attends funerals of those killed in violence with Israel, even if they are not Hamas.

Al-Ain's office in Gaza City, were Murtaja worked, was closed Saturday, but Khoudary said the death made journalists feel they were "all targets".

"He was only covering what was happening." </s> Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Sunday slammed requests to open an investigation into the shooting death of a Palestinian journalist killed while covering Friday's protests in Gaza. 



"The demand to investigate the shooting...is hypocrisy, the march of folly to which we are accustomed," he said. "We have seen dozens of cases of Hamas activists were disguised as medics and journalists. We also saw a journalist approach the border and operate a drone, we do not take chances in those cases. We issued warnings in English and Arabic to the protesters urging them not to endanger themselves. In the march of terror there were no innocent civilians, they were all Hamas members." 





The National Journalists Association penned a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot on Saturday requesting the IDF open an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Gazan journalist Yasser Murtaja, who was shot and killed while covering Friday's protests . Five other journalists were reportedly injured by live fire during the protests.Former journalist, MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union) voiced her support for the opening of an investigation on Twitter."I didn't know Yasser Murtaja, but I did know dozens of other Palestinian journalists working in Gaza, back when Israeli reporters were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. As far as I know, he wasn't threatening anyone or trying to cross the border. He, or any other journalists, should not have been shot," she wrote.Deflecting criticism of disproportionate use of violence by the IDF, Liberman added: "In Syria, half a million people have been killed so far, and only 40 killed at the end of last week. In Sudan and Iraq, hundreds of thousands have been murdered and no chirp or demand is heart, so it is clear that this is hypocritical, just as the Human Rights Council is making decisions against the State of Israel and not against North Korea, Syria and Sudan."Liberman credited the decrease in deaths in Friday's protests, from 20 last week to seven this week, to Hamas understanding that Israel would not compromise when it comes to national security."I have no problem keeping forces on the border," Liberman said. "We can keep them there for two years."The IDF announced after Murtaja's death was made public that it would be investigating the situation, but noted firmly that the IDF "does not kill journalists."Liberman also called for the Attorney General to launch an investigation into human rights group B'tselem on suspicion of incitement to insubordination after the group issued calls in the media for IDF soldiers to disobey orders to shoot at protesters. </s> Hundreds of colleagues and friends have attended the funeral of a popular and widely respected Palestinian video journalist who was killed as he covered Friday’s mass border protests in the Gaza Strip.



Yasser Murtaja, 31, was shot despite wearing a flak jacket with clear press markings as he filmed in thick black smoke from burning tyres set alight by protesters in Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis. He was one of at least nine Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at various points along the border during the day.

Friday’s deaths brought to 31 the total of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the past week.

Q&A What is the history of the Palestinian reconciliation efforts? Show Hide The two main Palestinian parties – the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and the Islamist militant group Hamas – have run separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza respectively since 2007. The situation emerged after Hamas defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections in 2006. Fatah refused to recognise the result, leading to a near-civil war that saw Hamas push Fatah out of Gaza. Numerous attempts at reconciliation have ensued but the latest effort looks the most serious yet. The issue of who controls the borders and runs government ministries is a key test, not least in loosening the Israeli blockade on Gaza, imposed after Hamas took control.

Responsibility for land border crossings – in a coastal strip without a commercial sea port or airport – is crucial, as Palestinians and goods can only cross by these checkpoints. Both Egypt and Israel will want to ensure that no arms reach Hamas and other groups.

The Israeli military, which insists that it fires only at “instigators” involved in attacks on soldiers, said it was investigating Murtaja’s death. It added that its troops were “operating in accordance with clear rules of engagement” and that it did “not intentionally target journalists”.

Murtaja’s body, draped in a Palestinian flag, was carried from the principal al-Omari mosque in Gaza City to the cemetery. After the burial, freelance photojournalist Shadi al-Assar, described how his friend – who was married with a two-year-old son – had been standing with him about 100 metres from the border fence when he decided to go into the smoke to get a better shot.

“Some time later I saw some of the young guys carrying him out on a stretcher. I wanted to take a picture of it and then I realised it was Yasser, my friend.” He and others had removed the jacket and uncovered a small entry wound in his left side. “I thought it was a light injury,” said Assar. But Murtaja, who was taken by ambulance to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, died in the early hours of Saturday.

Time for peaceful resistance, says Gaza's new movement Read more

Assar, 35, added: “He was a good guy, always smiling and loved by everybody. He was very ambitious, always looking for a better shot.” Like many Gazans of his generation, Murtaja had never been out of the Strip.

One of the first journalists to use camera drones in Gaza, Murtaja founded Ain Media, a TV production company that has done work for foreign clients including the BBC and Al Jazeera English. Under a drone image of the Gaza port that he posted on Facebook, he wrote: “I wished I could take this photo from the sky, not from land. My name is Yasser Murtaja, I am 30 years old. I live in Gaza City. I have never travelled.”

Although Murtaja is understood to have been independent of all political factions, the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh attended his funeral. He said the weekly protests – described as the “Return March” – represented a “battle of truth and awareness. Yasser held his camera to direct the arrows of truth to convey the image of the besieged people.”

Death toll mounts as Palestinians protest at Gaza border Read more

The 31 deaths in the past eight days include 19 Palestinians who were killed in the previous mass demonstrations on March or died subsequently of their wounds, along with two armed militants shot dead by Israeli troops in a separate border incident.

Hamas has admitted that five of those killed on 30 March were members of its military wing, while Israel has said that 10 of the 19 dead were identified as belonging to Hamas or other factions.

The protests are expected to continue over the next month and scheduled to reach their climax in mid-May, when Palestinians commemorate the 70th anniversary of the nakba, or catastrophe, when more than 700,000 were driven out or fled their homes in what is now Israel during the war of 1948.
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre states 80% of the deceased Palestinians, including journalist Yasir Murtaja, are terrorists.