TEL AVIV (dpa): News channel Al Jazeera on Saturday said it intends to take the death of its cameraman in the Gaza Strip to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Qatar-based broadcaster said that it has instructed its legal team "to urgently refer the case of the assassination of its cameraman in Gaza, Samer AbuDaqa, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague."
Al Jazeera said the 45-year-old father of four was hit by an Israeli drone strike on Friday while reporting at Farhana school. Rescue teams were initially unable to reach the cameraman due to Israeli bombardments and they were ultimately only able to recover his body. He was buried on Saturday.
When asked, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rejected accusations that it was targeting journalists. "The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists," it said in a statement.
The army pointed out that being in an "active combat zone" is associated with risks. "The IDF will continue to counter threats while persisting to mitigate harm to civilians," the statement continued.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) called on the Israeli military to investigate. - dpa
