Second Gazan Journalist Shot by Israel During Border Protest Dies of Wounds

Gazan photojournalist Ahmed Abu Hussein Hussein, who was gravely injured last Friday while documenting the March of Return, succumbed to his wounds Wednesday afternoon, Gaza's Health Ministry said.

Hussein was shot in the stomach by an Israeli sniper despite the fact that he was stationed at a permissible distance from the border fence. On Sunday, two days after he was shot, Israel gave Abu Hassin permission to pass through the country to get to a hospital in Ramallah where he could receive medical treatment.

The 25-year-old Hussein was working as a photojournalist for a local news agency since he graduated high school.

Hussein is the second journalist to be killed by Israeli fire since the weekly protests at the border started at the end of March. Yaser Murtaja, 30, was shot and killed while wearing a protective jacket labeled "PRESS" on April 7. Four other journalists were injured by live fire during the demonstrations, one of them critically.

According to the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, Murtaja was hit by gunfire while standing 350 meters from the border fence. The Israeli army has said in response: "The IDF does not intend to shoot at journalists, and the circumstances in which journalists were allegedly injured by IDF gunfire are unknown and are being investigated."

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On Friday, when Abu Hassin was shot, thousands of Gazans protested along the border in the fourth consecutive week of the March of Return. The Gazan Health Ministry reported that four Palestinians were killed and 156 wounded by Israeli live fire.

Two of the wounded Palestinians succumbed to their wounds on Monday, the ministry said. Both died as a result of gunshot wounds.

Their deaths raise the Palestinian death toll of last Friday's protest to six, and 39 total since protests began a month ago.