The Israel Defense Forces told the Daily Caller on Monday that a video that appeared to show the shooting of an unarmed Palestinian civilian in Khan Yunis was “under investigation.”
Video taken by a cameraman for British broadcaster ITV shows an Israeli soldier shooting dead an unarmed Palestinian citizen who was part of a group waving a white flag.
The clip sparked outrage after ITV first saw it report Wednesday's incident.
Ramzi Abu Sarloor, 51, was reportedly shot in the heart by an Israeli Defense Force sniper while traveling with his family in the Al Mawashi safe zone near Al Aqsa University, according to ITV.
After ITV released footage of the shooting, Israeli officials said, “These despicable accusations, which are alarming, defamatory, and grossly mischaracterize the war, are a Hamas propaganda effort to denigrate and undermine the IDF.” It is essential to emphasize that this can only be considered an extension of the Our goal is to dismantle Hamas and ensure that the terrorist organization never again has the power to form a terrorist army, invade Israel, and kill, burn, rape, and kidnap Israelis. ”
ITV News interviews a group of unarmed civilians holding up white flags as they try to escape from northern Gaza
Immediately after the interview, an IDF sniper shot and killed the man who had abandoned the white flag.
Israel edits and blames Hamas
— Alex Barnicoat (@mrbarnicoat) January 23, 2024
An IDF spokesperson initially told ITV: “The video has clearly been edited and there is no way for us to comment.”
Recent comments seem to contradict the original claim.
Asked for comment, an IDF spokesperson told Whistleblower: “The circumstances of the incident and whether IDF soldiers were involved in it are under review.”
The video was reportedly shot by ITV cameraman Mohamed Abu Safia, who interviewed the victim, stopped recording when he heard the first gunshot, and said he had to record the moment. I decided that there was a problem and started recording again. according to To ITV. (Related: Pentagon identifies US soldier killed in Iranian-backed drone attack)
“I heard the sniper's gunfire. That was the only sound I heard from the fire. I stopped recording and wondered if I was in danger or if it was a warning shot,” Safia said. Said ITV. “That's when I realized the man had been shot.”
“It happened at 3:14 p.m. They were peacefully holding white flags and everyone had ID. That guy had his hands up. When I approached him to interview him, His hands were up. Obviously he was peaceful. I don't know why he was targeted,” Safia claimed.
The video prompted US reporters to grill Biden's State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel over US support for Israeli military operations in Gaza.
“Given your widespread support for IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, would you support an Israeli investigation into what happened in that video?” ITV's Robert Moore asked Patel Asked. “What if they're waving the white flag and posing no threat?”
“That's for the IDF to take on and decide based on the situation,” Patel responded. “What I want to say is that we need our Israeli partners to take every step to avoid harm to civilians during operations and to investigate any credible allegations of violations of the law or violations of war once they arrive. “But that's something that Israeli partners and the IDF should discuss.”
WATCH: The State Department refuses to say whether the Israeli Defense Forces' shooting of unarmed civilians in a group waving a white flag was a war crime, or even if it would support an investigation.
“That is for the IDF to take care of…”
They also won't say whether they have discussed the tank attack with Israel… pic.twitter.com/n5uQuOOJAc
— Uncensored News (@decensednews) January 25, 2024
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a military operation in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. 64,000 people were injured.
