The October 2018 death of Reuters journalist Yaser Murtaja has been in the news for some months. Now, a new investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has confirmed that he was killed by an Israeli tank shell.
Murtaja was an award-winning photojournalist who had been covering the weekly protests along Gaza’s eastern boundary with Israel. He was wearing a clearly marked press vest when he was shot.
The HRW investigation used evidence from the scene, video evidence, munitions analysis, medical and ballistic reports, as well as testimonies from witnesses and survivors, to establish that it was an Israeli tank shell that killed Murtaja.
The Israeli army disputed the HRW report, claiming it was an “absurd fabrication” and pointing out that it found no evidence of a munitions hit in the area. It also said that any incident of this kind would be immediately investigated, but the Israeli Justice Ministry is yet to publish the results of its investigation.
The report has highlighted that Murtaja’s death is part of a wider pattern of abuse against journalists by the Israeli army. According to the Palestinian-based Ma’an News Agency, at least 11 journalists have been injured since the start of the Great March of Return protests in March 2018, and many believe the Israeli forces are targeting journalists in an attempt to limit the media coverage of these demonstrations.
The HRW report has called on the Israeli authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that those responsible for injuring or killing Murtaja are held accountable and that proper investigation processes are in place for any further incidents.
This incident emphasizes the importance of protecting journalists and safeguarding freedom of the press. HRW is hoping that the international community will take action to ensure that the journalists covering protests in dangerous locations receive the protection they need and deserve.