GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A media watchdog group called for an investigation Friday into the shooting of a cameraman for Hamas TV who lay injured 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."

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

Ghanem's legs were amputated Thursday after he was brought to the hospital in critical condition, doctors said. He remained in intensive care Friday.

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.

The shooting was captured on film and broadcast on al-Jazeera satellite television, but the footage did not show who fired at Ghanem.

Eleven Palestinian militants were killed in a series of battles Thursday between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in central Gaza. Israel poured infantry, tanks, bulldozers and aircraft into the 24-hour operation aimed at Palestinian positions firing rockets into Israel.