Israeli soldier deliberately shot Al Jazeera reporter, Palestinian official says

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 26 – The Palestinian Authority claimed on Thursday that an investigation into the assassination of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh revealed that she was killed deliberately by an Israeli soldier.

Israel vehemently refuted the charge, saying it was still investigating Abu Akleh’s killing, which occurred on May 11 while she was documenting an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

She may have been shot accidently by an Israeli soldier or by a Palestinian militant in an exchange of fire, according to the Israeli army.

According to Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib, the investigation revealed that there were no militants in the area.

“The occupying forces with the aim to murder were the only source of fire in that place,” Al-Khatib stated, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

As the first shots rang out, Abu Akleh, who was wearing a helmet and a press vest that plainly identified her as a journalist, attempted to run with several fellow reporters, according to him. “It’s a war crime,” Al-Khatib declared.

The killing will be reported to the International Criminal Court, according to Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV network (ICC).

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Benny Gantz, Israel’s defence minister, has slammed the findings.

“Any claim that the IDF intentionally harms journalists or uninvolved civilians, is a blatant lie,” he wrote on Twitter.

He reaffirmed his appeal for Palestinians to assist with Israel in the investigation and send over the bullet for ballistic testing to determine whether it was fired from an Israeli military weapon.

Palestinians claim they do not trust Israel and have refused to participate in a joint investigation.

According to Al-Khatib, the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was a 5.56 mm round fired from an Israeli military-issued Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle.

M-16 rifles, which are carried by many Palestinian militants, can likewise shoot the same 5.56 calibre. Al-Khatib did not elaborate on how he knew it came from an Israeli gun.