Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Yasser Murtaja (October 31, 1987, Al-Rimal neighborhood, Gaza - April 6, 2018 in Khuza'a) is a Palestinian photographer and journalist from the Gaza Strip. He was killed by the Israeli occupation soldiers during the 2018 Land Day protests. Yasser Murtaja is a co-founder of “Ain Media Productions”. It is a company that has produced media materials for Al-Jazeera, BBC, Vice and many other media companies. Yasser Murtaja was one of the first to bring a drone camera to Gaza, which has no airport or skyscrapers.
Occupation
Yasser Murtaja has focused his journalistic work on covering life in Gaza, including the blockade of Gaza and the Israel-Gaza conflict. He is best known for his documentary "Gaza: Shuja'iya Survivor" for Al-Jazeera. This documentary sheds light on Bisan Daher, who survived an Israeli attack on the Shuja'iya neighborhood in Gaza that killed six members of her family. Yasser developed a close friendship with Bisan to help her overcome Shock.
Yasser's dreams of travel have been a recurring theme in his photographs and social media posts. In March 2018, under a framed photo of the port of Gaza, Yasser wrote, “I hope one day I can take this photo from the sky instead of from the ground! My name is Yasser and I am 30 years old. I live in Gaza City and have never left it in my life!” Yasser once crossed the border into Egypt for a short time, but was stopped hours later for security reasons in Sinai.
his death
Yasser Murtaja was working on the coverage of the “Great March of Return” that took place in the 2018 Land Day protests. During the protests on April 6, Yasser was taking pictures of the demonstrators near the border in Khan Yunis. Protesters were burning tires, engulfing the area in thick black smoke. Yasser was shot in the stomach by an Israeli sniper, according to a report by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, although he was wearing a vest bearing the words “press” to identify him as a journalist. Seven other Palestinian journalists were injured in the protests. Reuters quoted officials in the Palestinian Ministry of Health as saying that a live bullet penetrated one side of his abdomen, and he later died in hospital as a result of his injury. On that day, nine Palestinians were killed, and 1,350 others were wounded, 25 of them in critical conditions. The number of those wounded by live ammunition was about 400. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that it had treated 700 wounded people on April 6, of whom 320 were wounded by live ammunition.
Investigation
The Israeli army announced in a statement published by the Israeli website Ynet News that the circumstances in which the journalists came under fire from the Israeli army are unknown and are under investigation. Journalists.
reactions
Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Christophe Deloire has condemned Israel's disproportionate response to the protests and called for an independent investigation into the incident.
The EU's response was that Friday's violence "raises serious questions about the appropriate use of force that must be addressed."
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said: “The return march is a battle of truth and awareness. Yasser carried his camera to direct the arrows of truth to convey the image of the besieged people.”
The IDF issued the following statement: “The IDF uses warning and riot control devices, as a last resort, that fire live ammunition in a precise and measured manner. The Israeli army does not intend to shoot journalists. The circumstances of the journalists who were shot, as the army claimed, are not known to us and we will conduct an investigation.” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman commented on the killing of the Palestinian journalist by saying: “Anyone who flies a drone over Israeli soldiers puts himself in danger.” The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said in a statement that it holds Israel fully responsible for this crime. It also said that seven other reporters were injured at the April 6 protest in what they described as "deliberate crimes committed by the Israeli army."
funeral
Hundreds of journalists, friends and relatives attended his funeral, which was held in Gaza City. His body was covered with the Palestinian flag and a press jacket was placed on the stretcher while he was carried through the streets of Gaza City. A drone camera was used to film his funeral scenes from the air.
source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
: From
To