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Video Shows Israeli Snipers Cheering As Shot Hits Palestinian Protester

The Israeli military said on Monday that it was investigating a video that appears to show an Israeli army sniper shooting a motionless Palestinian across the border in Gaza, to whoops of excitement from the onlooker.

Israeli television channels broadcast the clip at the start of their primetime evening news bulletins – with one host describing it as “disturbing” – after it circulated widely on social networks.

Its release comes after more than a week of daily protests by Palestinians at the Gaza-Israel border in which 30 Gazans have been shot dead.

However, the Israeli military said that the clip might have been filmed months ago.

The amateur-style video focuses through a lens or viewfinder on a person in the distance, beyond a wire fence, standing still and alone. A gun fires and the person falls to the ground.

“Wow, what a video. Yes! Son of a bitch! What a video. Here, run to evacuate him,” a voice says in Hebrew as people are seen running toward the person.

In a tweeted statement, the military said: “With regard to the video of the soldiers at the Gaza Strip border – it was probably an event that occurred a number of months ago. The event will be investigated and examined thoroughly.”

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