Slain journalist was a militant, Israel claims

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister said Tuesday that a well-known Gaza journalist who was killed by Israeli gunfire over the weekend was a member of Hamas, an allegation denied by the Islamic militant group and the journalist’s family.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman provided no evidence to back up the claim.

Yasser Murtaja died from a gunshot wound while filming a mass demonstration near the fence with Israel on Friday in an area engulfed in thick black smoke from Palestinians setting tires on fire.

Murtaja was shot while carrying a video camera and wearing a flak jacket marked with the word “press.”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Lieberman said that Murtaja was a “terrorist” who had been on the Hamas payroll since 2011.

He said Murtaja had used a drone to collect intelligence on Israeli forces along the border.

Murtaja, 30, was the co-founder of Ain Media, a local TV production company that has done projects for foreign media clients.

The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that the media production company had recently received an $11,700 grant from the U.S. government.

It said the grant was vetted according to strict U.S. government requirements of USAID-funded assistance.

Also Tuesday, Israel released the results of an investigation into video footage in which soldiers are heard cheering as a sniper shoots a Palestinian along the border.

The army said the video was not from the recent unrest, and was taken in December.

The military said the troops’ behavior does not reflect the army’s values and promised they would be dealt with “accordingly,” without elaborating.