An Associated Press cameraman has been shot and wounded in Gaza while covering a demonstration in the north of the enclave, despite wearing protective clothing identifying him as a member of the press.

Rashed Rashid, 47, a veteran employee of the American newswire, was hit in the leg on Monday during a weekly protest next to the border fence with Israel. He underwent surgery on Wednesday after suffering multiple bone fractures above the ankle.

He was struck even though witnesses said he was about 600m from the fence and far from the protesters. Co-workers said he was also wearing a blue helmet and brown protective vest with the word “PRESS” written in white.

Mr Rashid was operating a live camera and was on the phone with AP’s senior producer when he was hit by the fire, which appeared to come from the Israeli side. The Israeli military said it is investigating.

Dozens of rockets being fired from Gaza at Israeli civilians

“While with me on the line, I heard him shouting ‘I’m hit, I’m hit’,” recounted Najib Jobain, AP’s senior producer, who said Mr Rashid told him the protest was ending and he was going to stop the transmission.

Majed Hamdan, AP’s driver, said they were winding down for the day and so were collecting equipment to load into their vehicle when the bullet hit.

“I began putting some of our stuff in the car when I heard Rashed screaming,” he said.

The Foreign Press Association in Israel said it “deplored” the shooting and called for a credible investigation.

We deplore the shooting of any journalist and urge the army to conduct a thorough and credible investigation. We expect serious disciplinary action if wrongdoing is discovered Foreign Press Association in Israel

“At no point did [Mr Rashid] pose a threat to the military or the protesters. It is hard to understand how or why someone taking so many precautions would be shot,” its statement read.

The group added: “We deplore the shooting of any journalist and urge the army to conduct a thorough and credible investigation. We expect serious disciplinary action if wrongdoing is discovered.”

It is not the first time this year that a journalist has been shot during the Gaza protests. In April two Palestinian journalists were shot dead while covering the rallies.

In mid-April Ahmed Abu Hussein, who was working for Gaza’s al-Shaab radio, died from gunshot wounds to the stomach, which he sustained while covering the protest.

A few weeks earlier Yaser Murtaja, 30, a cameraman for Palestinian Ain Media, had also been shot and died the next day. After his death, the Israeli military said it does not intentionally target journalists and that it would look into the circumstances of the shooting. Israel later accused Murtaja of not being a civilian.

For nearly eight months, tens of thousands of Gaza residents have marched towards Israel in protests demanding the right to return to their ancestral lands, which they were forced from or fled during the 1948 conflict which surrounded the creation of Israel.

More than 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in that time.

Facing mounting criticism for its use of live fire, Israel defended its actions by saying that protesters have launched burning kites and balloons tied with explosives at Israel in an attempt to break the border fence and attack civilians.

Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli air strike AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile systems firing toward missiles fired from the Gaza Strip near the southern city of Sderot, Israel. Israeli army report that approximately 300 missile launches were identified from the Gaza strip toward Israel. Dozens of launches were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli soldiers take cover near the Israel Gaza border AP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said it was carrying out air strikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" on Monday after rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave towards its territory AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians inspect a rubble of a destroyed internal security building of Hamas interior ministry after Israeli air strike in Gaza City EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A Palestinian girl walks up the stairs of her family house that was damaged in an Israeli air strike REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Fire and smoke billow following Israeli air strikes targeting Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, near the border with Egypt AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the south of Israel destroy incoming missiles AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli security forces and firefighters gather near abuilding set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli town of Sderot AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures epa07162276 A Palestinian girl stands between the rubble of her family house close a destroyed building of Al-Aqsa channel belonging to Hamas movement after Israeli air strike in Gaza City, 13 November 2018. According to reports, Palestinian militants fired 300 rockets and mortars at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israel army responded with strikes on what it said were targets belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER MOHAMMED SABER EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A picture taken on November 12, 2018 shows a ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike. - Israel's military said it was carrying out air strikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" after rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave towards its territory. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)BASHAR TALEB/AFP/Getty Images BASHAR TALEB AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A ruble of a destroyed building of Al-Aqsa channel belonging to Hamas movement EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli security forces and firefighters gather near a bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave AFP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Relatives of Mohammed Ouda, killed in an Israeli air stike the previous day, mourn during his funeral in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the south of Israel destroy incoming missiles fired at Israel from the Palestinian enclave AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli soldiers sit atop a Merkava tank stationed along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Black smoke rises as an Israeli airstrike hits a residential building in Gaza City AP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians look out of their house that was damaged in an Israeli air strike REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians hold placards and the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Gaza, in the West Bank city of Hebron EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures An Israeli policeman inspects the damage in a building caused a day earlier by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of a destroyed residential building after Israeli air strike in Gaza City EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A man stands inside a house damaged by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip overnight, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY RONEN ZVULUN REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians survey a destroyed residential building hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) Hatem Moussa AP

The protests had begun to quieten down amid reports Hamas, the militant group that runs the enclave, had reined in the violence ahead of an imminent long term truce between the two sides.

Violence flared, however, after a botched Israeli intelligence raid into southern Gaza earlier this month turned into a firefight which left seven Palestinians and one Israeli lieutenant colonel dead.

Gaza’s fighters hit back by launching at least 460 rockets at southern Israel in the heaviest bombardment since the 2014 war.

Israel retaliated by pounding over 160 targets in Gaza with airstrikes.