Ex-Navy Chief Rips ‘Faked’ ITV Gaza Shooting Footage, Claims ‘Ketchup for Blood’ in Staged Scene

Rear Admiral Chris Parry blasted ITV News’ widely shared footage of a Gazan brandishing a white flag being shot in the street as a “classic fake” on Thursday.

ITV News ran its cameraperson’s footage on Wednesday which captured the moment an unarmed Gazan man was shot dead while part of a group holding a white flag just moments after the network’s journalists on the ground had interviewed him.

Speaking to TalkTV host Julia Hartley-Brewer in her London studio, the former Royal Navy commander argued that the footage was a clear set up and inconsistent enough to be considered “fake.”

“We’ve seen all throughout this campaign that the Gazans and Hamas keep putting out these fake videos and it’s hooked a lot of people,” he said.

“What’s fake about it?” the host asked.

Parry continued: “So if you look at the detail, you’ve got changes in clothing, you can see the break at certain cases where they’ve actually done a retake. There’s no evidence that it’s an Israeli sniper at all. You just hear a gunshot… and we also know that Hamas do force flag act activities. So, even if the guy had been shot, it could actually be a set up by Hamas, who say, ‘Here’s an opportunity with an ITV crew… let’s shoot the guy.’”

The video shows a group of men standing with their hands up and waving a white flag as they seek to evacuate their families from a building in Al Mawasi in southern Gaza, a former so-called “safe zone.” The victim, identified as Ramzi Abu Sahloul, had just spoken to ITV News explaining that he was trying to get his mother and brother out of the building.

Hartley-Brewer reflects that the clip makes for “good imagery” with “the flag on top” and admitted she had planned to discuss the “need to call out when Israeli soldiers commit war crimes.”

“Notice there’s no fear from the other people,” Parry said. “There’s been a sniper, apparently, who shot a guy. The other people are acting as if they’re on a stage set. They’re not running for cover. I mean, if you’ve been in any situation like that, none of the ingredients, including the ketchup, that’s been used as blood, I’m afraid are authentic.”

Circulation of the clip led to calls from opposition MPs in Commons on Wednesday for the government to condemn the shooting as a “war crime.”

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), when approached by ITV News for comment, denied awareness of the incident. Questioned further, the IDF dismissed the video as “clearly edited” and refused to comment further.

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