A media watchdog group called for an investigation Friday into the shooting of a cameraman for Hamas TV who lay wounded on a battlefield in Gaza.

The International Federation of Journalists, in a statement from Brussels, Belgium, denounced Israel for what it said was "a vicious and brutal example of deliberate targeting of a journalist."

IDF spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibowitch said it was not clear who shot Imad Ghanem, 21, a cameraman for the Hamas-allied Al Aksa TV, though she did not deny it could have been Israeli troops. There were no immediate plans to investigate the incident, she said.

Leibowitch said the cameraman was a legitimate target because he was with the Hamas gunmen firing at Israeli forces, was separated from other journalists covering the clash, and could have been carrying a weapon.