Controversial footage has emerged of an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) sniper shooting a man and then celebrating with other soldiers.
In the video, the Palestinian man stands by the border fence as the snipers line up their shot, CNN reports.
"When he stops, you take him down," one soldier said. "Are you on him?"
"I can't fire because of the barbed wire," the sniper replied.
"Take out the one in the pink," another soldier said a few moments later.
The sniper then takes the shot and the Palestinian man can be seen falling to the ground. A group of Palestinians then rush forward to remove him from the field.
"Son of a bitch!" one soldier said in celebration. "What a legendary film! I haven't seen this kind of thing for a long time."
The IDF has defended their soldiers conduct in the video, saying it was shot during violent protests to Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
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"The video depicts a short part of the response to a violent riot, which included rock hurling and attempts to sabotage the security fence, and lasted about two hours," the IDF said in a statement.
"During the riot, means were taken in order to disperse it, including verbal warnings and calls to halt, using riot dispersal means and firing warning shots into the air."
"After none of these were successful, a single bullet was fired towards one of the Palestinians who is suspected of organizing and leading this incident, while he was a few meters from the fence.
"He was hit in the leg and injured. The video was not filmed from the position of the shooting, and was filmed by a soldier who was not part of the unit of the soldiers who fired."
However the group's conduct has been condemned by many following the video's publication on social media.
"The crime and the evidence," said Ahmad Tibi, a politician from the Joint Arab List party in Israel's Knesset.
"The hunting of humans, and the gratification the sniper derives from the ruthless murder of an unarmed Palestinian civilian in Gaza.
"Difficult to watch."
The IDF will be conducting an inquiry into the actions shown in the video, and admitted the cheering filmed "[does] not suit the degree of restraint expected of IDF soldiers".
Newshub.
