Cameraman Yaser Murtaja for Palestinian Ain Media killed by Israeli troops while covering protests - ReutersWASHINGTON - 11 April 2018: The United States had approved a grant for a media company started by a Palestinian journalist who died last week after being wounded by Israeli fire while covering protests along the Israel-Gaza border, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.Yaser Murtaja, 30, was a cameraman for Palestinian Ain Media, a production company he co-founded. Photos showed him lying wounded on a stretcher wearing a navy-blue protective vest marked "PRESS" in large capital letters.The United States has not yet commented on his shooting.A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had approved $11,700 in grant funding for Ain Media last month under a program that supports private sector development.The official said the grant was for technical assistance and equipment, such as computers.State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Murtaja had been vetted under U.S. government guidelines. "We are aware of reports that a journalist operating in Gaza was killed in the clashes in Gaza. "She repeated calls by Washington for "a peaceful dialogue" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Certainly the events of the past week and a half have been very troubling," she added.

Source: Egypt Today April 10, 2018 23:26 UTC