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Qatari news agency Al Jazeera has blamed Israeli forces for killing journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a raid in the West Bank town of Jenin. The Palestinian Authority (PA) as well as witnesses claim that Akleh, a Palestinian American, was shot in the head by an Israeli sniper.

In a statement, the network said that Israeli forces were responsible for Akleh’s “blatant murder” and that she was “assassinated in cold blood” while conducting her journalistic duty. The statement added that Akleh was shot despite wearing a press jacket that identified her as a journalist.

“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Shireen,” the statement noted. The agency also called on the international community to condemn Israel and hold it accountable for Akleh’s death.

The statement added that another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali al-Samudi, was shot in the back during Wednesday’s raid and is currently undergoing treatment.

Journalists present in the area said that there were no confrontations when Akleh was shot and said that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) shot at her. “We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” Al-Samoudi said.

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen […] there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene,” he added.

Another journalist who was with Akleh when she was shot also blamed Israeli forces for her death, accusing them of deliberately shooting at Akleh. “The [Israeli] occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed. I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots being fired. The army was adamant on shooting to kill,” she told Al Jazeera.

The PA alleged that Israel had deliberately targetted Akleh. Saying that she was shot in the head, the PA Foreign Ministry noted that she was killed for exposing Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. “With her fearless reporting and her powerful persistence, Shireen became an icon of the truth. A national hero for those whose voices were silenced by Israel’s crimes,” the statement read.

“Israel’s assassination of Shireen is part of its well-documented and widely acknowledged war and incitement against Palestinian journalists and the freedom of expression and the press,” it added. Calling it a war crime, the PA said that Israel rewards soldiers for killing Palestinians.

The PA also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “immediately and urgently open an investigation into Israel’s crimes against journalists and media personnel.”

On the other hand, Israeli leaders and the IDF blamed Palestinian militants for killing Akleh. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz tweeted on Wednesday that after an initial IDF investigation “we did not identify any IDF fighters firing at [journalists], but we are continuing to investigate it in depth.”

“The findings we have will be transmitted in a transparent and clear manner to our American friends, as well as to the PA,” he said. Gantz added: “I would like to emphasize that IDF soldiers do not intentionally harm innocent people, and will never intentionally harm journalists. Any attempt to imply this is baseless.”

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said that Akleh’s death was a result of indiscriminate firing by Palestinian militants. “During the engagement, armed Palestinians shot in an inaccurate, indiscriminate and uncontrolled manner. Our forces from the IDF returned fire as accurately, carefully and responsibly as possible,” he claimed in an address to the Knesset.

Saying that there is a “significant possibility” that Akleh was shot by Palestinian militants, Bennett said that a serious investigation was needed to uncover the truth. “Israel has called on the PA to conduct a joint forensic analysis based on all the documentation and findings available in order to uncover the truth,” he stated, adding that Ramallah has rejected calls for a joint investigation.

Furthermore, the IDF released a video showing a Palestinian gunman claiming to have hit an Israeli soldier near the Jenin refugee camp and implied that there was a possibility that Akleh was shot by the gunman, as there were no Israeli casualties during Wednesday’s raid.

“The IDF is investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen,” it tweeted.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the murder of Akleh “unfortunate” and said that the raid was part of an effort by Israel to prevent terrorism and the killing of Israelis. “Journalists must be protected on the battlefield and we have a duty to get to the truth,” he added. In this respect, he said that Israel is offering the Palestinians a “joint pathological investigation into the unfortunate death.”

However, the IDF’s claim that Akleh was shot by a Palestinian militant was refuted by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. Using geolocation, B’Tselem concluded that the gunfire of the Palestinian militants shown in the video released by the IDF “cannot be the gunfire” that killed Akleh.

Akleh’s murder was widely condemned by the international community, which has demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to her death. Qatar condemned Israel for its actions and said that it considers the killing of Akleh a “heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a blatant infringement on freedom of media and expression and the right of peoples to access information.”

Israel said that it intends to send Qatar the complete findings of its military investigation.

The US called for an “immediate and thorough investigation” into Akleh’s death. “Investigating attacks on independent media and prosecuting those responsible are of paramount importance,” the US State Department said. US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said that Akleh’s death was “very sad” and called for “a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin.”

The incident was also condemned by the United Nations, the European Union, France, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and China.

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

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