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UK deadline for Gaza death probe Israel seeks shot Briton footage
(about 6 hours later)
A deadline set by the UK government for Israel to open a criminal investigation into the death of a British cameraman in Gaza is about to expire. Israel has asked the UK for more information on the death of British cameraman James Miller, who was shot in Gaza in May 2003.
James Miller, from Devon, was filming a documentary in May 2003 when he was shot dead in the town of Rafah. Attorney general Menachem Mazuz has asked to see footage of the incident, which was filmed by a local TV crew.
His family insists there is clear evidence the 34-year-old was killed by an Israeli soldier. It comes as a deadline set by the UK government for Israel to open a criminal investigation expired.
An Israeli inquiry cleared a soldier of firearms misuse but a UK inquest later ruled Mr Miller was unlawfully killed.An Israeli inquiry cleared a soldier of firearms misuse but a UK inquest later ruled Mr Miller was unlawfully killed.
At the end of June, the UK attorney general at the time, Lord Goldsmith, wrote to his Israeli counterpart pointing out what he called important new expert evidence in the death of Mr Miller. Mr Miller, from Devon, was filming a documentary when he was shot dead in the town of Rafah. His family says there is clear evidence the 34-year-old was killed by an Israeli soldier.
That evidence - in a report for the Metropolitan Police - concluded the shots that night in Gaza in May 2003 came only from the direction of an Israeli armoured vehicle.
In a statement issued ahead of the deadline, Israel's Justice Ministry said it would consider the request and respond "as soon as possible and in accordance with the timetables of the relevant authorities".
White flagWhite flag
Until now, the Israelis have insisted that Mr Miller was caught in cross-fire. The film has already been analysed by an acoustic expert working for the Metropolitan Police. He concluded that the shots fired that night came from only one direction - from where an Israeli armoured personnel carrier was located.
But Mr Miller's brother, John, told the BBC that his family had evidence to the contrary. In the footage, Mr Miller is seen waving a white flag as he steps from a building in Gaza. There is a shot. His colleague shouts, "We're British journalists."
"There's a film that shows my brother leaving the house [where he had been filming] carrying a white flag, no shooting at all... six shots, the second of which killed him. There is then a second shot, which hits Mr Miller in the neck.
"There's acoustic evidence, which proves that all six shots came from the same place; there's soldiers' testimony saying that only one soldier fired, and that was the commander of the unit," he said. British officials have told the BBC they aim to deliver the original film within a week, and that they expect to hear from the Israeli authorities again within a further four to five weeks.
Lord Goldsmith gave the Israeli authorities until 7 August to open a criminal investigation. At the end of June, the UK attorney general at the time, Lord Goldsmith, gave the Israeli authorities until 7 August to open a criminal investigation.
In theory the British government could now demand the Israelis extradite the soldier believed to be responsible for the killing, says the BBC's Middle East correspondent Tim Franks. But British officials and Mr Miller's family say they are willing to be flexible on the timetable, as long as the Israeli attorney general takes the new evidence into account.
But British officials and Mr Miller's family say they are willing to be flexible on the timetable, as long as the Israeli attorney general does now take into proper account the new evidence.