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British journalist shot dead { May 3 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1051945184363http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1051945184363
May. 3, 2003
British journalist shot dead in Gaza (UPDATE)
By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
The local Foreign Press Association, the British Foreign Office, and the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders on Saturday called for investigations into the killing of British cameraman James Miller, a prize-winning documentary maker who had worked for CNN, the BBC, Britain's Channel 4 and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
London's Daily Telegraph quoted a British Foreign Ministry official saying "we are in contact with the Israeli authorities and pushing for a full and transparent investigation. Our sympathy lies with the family."
The IDF expressed regret over the incident, which it is investigating. A statement released by the IDF Spokesman said troops were searching for tunnels used to smuggle weapons near the Rafah area when they discovered a tunnel in one of the homes. Shots and an anti-tank rocket were fired at the security forces investigating the tunnel.
"The soldiers returned fire and during the exchange of gunfire a British cameraman was hit. He received preliminary medical treatment at the site and was then moved to a nearby IDF position for continued treatment. A helicopter was summonsed to airlift him to hospital but the cameraman succumbed to his wounds when the aircraft reached the site," the statement said.
The army noted that while it regretted the incident, Miller had entered a combat zone. "The entry of photographers into combat zones during exchanges of gunfire endangers the troops and the photographers," the IDF Spokesman said, also noting that since Miller was shot in the back, he may have been killed by Palestinian fire.
Associated Press Television footage showed the crew waving a white flag and yelling that they were British journalists as they approached an armored bulldozer conducting the operation.
"We are deeply concerned over the recent increase in the killing and wounding of noncombatants by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza, and call on the military to address this terrible problem seriously and not sweep it under the rug," the Press Association said in a statement.
(With The Associated Press)
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