On 20 July Salem Shamaly went looking for injured members of his family in Shujaiya, a densely populated suburb in the eastern part of Gaza City.
During his search the 23-year-old, also known as “man in the green shirt”, was fatally shot as he strayed into the sights of an apparent Israeli sniper.
Today, a former Israeli soldier has told Channel 4 News he can shed light on what happened.
Eran Efrati left the army in 2008. He is now an activist who has sought to expose Israeli military transgressions.
He told Channel 4 News he has taken testimony from soldiers who were there when Shamaly was shot.
Mr Efratri said: “These soldiers are deciding on a theoretical red line that nobody can pass. You can be killed for crossing this line. There is a video of a man looking for his family. Two soldiers ask if it is ok to shoot him.”
He described what happened next: “The sniper is getting into position – he is asking his offcer, three, times ‘when can I shoot him?’
“The officer tells them ‘wait, wait, we need the man in the green shirt to cross the red line’.
‘Revenge attack’
“He shoots two more bullets into his body and kills him.”
Mr Efrati confirmed: “I heard this testimony from three soldiers.”
He added: “They were completely convinced that what they did was wrong. They were guilty. The man in the green shirt was not any threat to their lives.
“The officer allowed this revenge attack in the middle of Gaza.”
“The Video Footage”
In the footage which was first released on 21 July, filmed by activists from the International Solidarity Movement, Salem Shamaly, is seen being shot three times. The third shot kills him.
Earlier on the same day Shujaiya was the scene of a Hamas attack on an Israeli armoured personnel carrier which resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
The attack was followed by an intense period of bombardment in the suburb. Building after building was reduced to ruins.
Today, residents began returning to their homes. A ceasefire is holding but is due to expire on Friday morning.
Copyright Channel 4 News