Army says sniper footage is old, Palestinian ‘instigator’ was not killed

The army concludes an initial probe into footage of an IDF sniper shooting a Palestinian man standing at the border fence in Gaza while the soldier’s comrades urge him to fire and curse the Palestinian.

The incident, the army says, took place on December 22, 2017, and not during the recent bouts of violence along the border, as initially claimed by those sharing the video worldwide.

The Palestinian in question, the army claims, was a key “instigator” of Friday protests at the border, and did not heed repeated warnings to leave the area.

He was not killed, the army further says, but was shot in the leg and was carried off by fellow protesters.

The soldier who filmed the incident “was not a part of the force” that carried out the shooting.

The army also says the soldiers’ comments before and after the shooting “were not befitting the spirit and restraint expected of IDF soldiers.”