"The presence of media ... in areas of warfare poses a threat to their lives." Reuters called for a swift investigation. David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief, said: "The markings on Shana's vehicle showed clearly that he was a ... journalist doing his duty. We must work together to understand why this tragedy took place."
Shana was one of at least 18 Palestinians killed on Wednesday after three Israeli soldiers died in a battle with Hamas gunmen inside Gaza, close to the Nahal Oz fuel terminal. Among the Palestinian dead were 14 civilians, including eight children, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Nearly all were killed at the village of Juhor al-Dik, in central Gaza.
According to the human rights group, which investigated the killings, nine civilians were killed when they were struck by two missiles in the village on Wednesday. A further 18 were injured. Shana arrived shortly afterwards and began filming. The last seconds of footage show an Israeli tank on a hilltop. There is a flash and a cloud of smoke as the tank fires a shell. Moments later there is a second flash close to the camera as dark shapes shoot out. The tape goes black, apparently as Shana is hit.
In an interview with al-Jazeera television two months ago Shana talked about his work. "It is impossible to stop me from working as a journalist," he said at the time. "I would either have to die or lose my legs." He was the ninth journalist killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2000.
Yesterday former US President Jimmy Carter held a second day of meetings in Cairo with leaders from the Hamas Islamist movement. Among the leaders he met was Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas hardliner and the movement's most senior figure in Gaza. Today Carter is due in Damascus, where he is expected to meet Khaled Meshal, Hamas's exiled head.