WATCH: IDF officer fires tear gas directly at photographer

Noam Sheizaf By Noam Sheizaf December 2, 2013 | Edit

A video shot in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar last Wednesday shows an IDF officer shooting a tear gas canister directly at a volunteer videographer from human rights organization B’Tselem.

The images were captured during a protest in the small town, north of Hebron. Stones were thrown at an army vehicle; soldiers shot tear gas in the general direction of the stone throwers. B’Tselem photographer Muhmmad Awad was standing near the soldiers and documenting the event when an officer aimed and shot shot a tear gas canister directly at him. Awad suffered light injuries.

Here is a video taken by Awad before his injury:

Several years ago, Palestinian activist Bassem Abu Rahmeh was killed when a similar canister hit him in the chest. A video of the incident can be seen below (Graphic images). The army issued orders that forbid shooting tear gas canisters directly at protesters, but they were never upheld. Two years ago another protester died from a tear gas canister shot at him from close range in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh.

Here is a shot-by-shot view of the canister fired at Awad.

WATCH: IDF officer fires tear gas directly at photographer
Shooting of B’Tselem photographer Muhmmad ‘Awad (images: B’Tselem)
Noam Sheizaf

Noam Sheizaf is an independent journalist and editor. He was the founding executive director and editor-in-chief of +972 Magazine. Prior to joining +972, he worked for Tel Aviv’s Ha-ir local paper, Ynet, and the Maariv daily, where his last position was deputy editor of the weekend magazine. He is currently working on a number of documentary films.

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