On 16 April 2008, nearly two years after being injured, Shana'a was killed along with eight bystanders between the ages of 12 and 20 by a
flechette shell fired by an Israeli
tank as part of the
Al Bureij killings. His death was confirmed by medical examiners the following day. Shana'a's video footage shows the tank firing and a glimpse of the incoming shell before going black at the moment of impact. Schlesinger again called for an investigation, as did
Human Rights Watch, whose Middle East director stated that "Israeli soldiers did not make sure they were aiming at a military target before firing, and there is evidence suggesting they actually targeted the journalists." The
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights denounced the killing as a deliberate
war crime. The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement saying: "The IDF wishes to emphasize that unlike terrorist organizations, not only does it not deliberately target uninvolved civilians, it also uses means to avoid such incidents... Reports claiming the opposite are false and misleading." On 13 August 2008, it was reported that the IDF had closed an investigation into the death of Shana'a without taking disciplinary action against the tank crew that killed him. ==See also==