The Israel Defense Forces told The Daily Caller on Monday that a video which appears to show the shooting of an unarmed Palestinian civilian in Khan Younis is “under review.”
A video, shot by a cameraman with British outlet ITV, seemingly shows an Israeli soldier shooting and killing an unarmed Palestinian citizen who was part of a group waving a white flag.
The clip sparked outrage after ITV first reported the incident Wednesday.
Fifty-one-year-old Ramzi Abu Sahloul was reportedly travelling through the Al-Mawasi safe zone near Al-Aqsa University with his family when an IDF sniper allegedly shot him in the heart, killing him, according to ITV.
After ITV released footage of the shooting, Israeli officials said it was “imperative to emphasize that the alarming, libelous and a gross mischaracterization of the war with these despicable accusations can only be deemed as an extension of Hamas’s 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.”
ITV News interviewed a group of unarmed civilians waiving a white flag trying to escape Northern Gaza
As soon as the interview was finished, an IDF sniper shot the man waiving the white flag
Israel has claimed that it’s edited and blamed it on Hamas
— Alex Barnicoat (@mrbarnicoat) January 23, 2024
An IDF spokesman initially told ITV that the “video is clearly edited and we have no way to comment.”
More recent comments appear to contradict that initial assertion.
When asked for comment, an IDF spokesman told the Caller that the “circumstances of the incident, and whether IDF troops were involved in it, are under review.”
The video was reportedly taken by ITV cameraman Mohammed Abu Safia, who interviewed the victim and then stopped recording after hearing the initial barrage of gunfire, before pressing record again after deciding the moment needed to be documented, according to ITV. (RELATED: Pentagon Identifies US Soldiers Killed In Iranian-Backed Drone Attack)
“I heard a sniper’s gun fire. That was the only fire noise. I stopped recording, and I was wondering if I was in danger or if it was a warning firing,” Safia told ITV. “I realized then the man was shot.”
“It happened at 3.14 p.m. They were peaceful, raising a white flag, all of them raising their IDs. That man was raising his hands. When I approached him to interview him his hands were up. Clearly he was peaceful. I don’t know why he was targeted,” Safia claimed.
The video prompted U.S. reporters to grill Biden State Department spokesman Vedant Patel on U.S. support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“Would you urge, given that you broadly support IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, would you support an Israeli investigation of what happened in that video?” ITV’s Robert Moore asked Patel. “Given that they’re waving a white flag and presented no threat?”
“That is for the IDF to undertake and to determine based on the circumstances of that situation,” Patel replied. “What I will say is that we have been clear to our Israeli partners that they need to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm during an operation and investigate credible allegations of law or war violations when they arrive. But that is for our Israeli partners and the IDF to speak to.”
WATCH: State Dept refuses to say whether IDF shooting an unarmed civilian in a group waving white flag is a war crime, or even whether they’d support an investigation
“That is for the IDF to undertake…”
They also won’t say if they’ve talked to Israel about their tank attack… pic.twitter.com/n5uQuOOJAc
— Decensored News (@decensorednews) January 25, 2024
Over 26,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, with an additional 64,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.