The well-known Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday morning while covering clashes between Palestinian militants and and the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. She was shot in the head while wearing a blue “Press” flak jacket.
Another journalist was also injured. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, which quoted the Palestinian health ministry, Abu Akleh, 51, “died after being hit by the (Israeli, Ed.) occupation army”. The Palestinian Authority presidency under Mahmoud Abbas condemned the “crime of execution by the Israeli occupation forces of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh”, WAFA reported. Abbas stated that “the Israeli government is fully responsible for this atrocious crime”, underscoring that it is part “of the daily policies pursued by the occupation against our population, its land and its holy sites”.
Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was “accusing Israel without solid proof. On the basis of the information at our disposal, there is a reasonable probability that armed Palestinians who were shooting wildly caused the painful death of the journalist,” Bennet said. “Israeli occupation killed Aljazeera journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh by shooting her in the face while wearing the Press vest and a helmet. She was covering their attack in Jenin refugee camp. This state sponsored Israeli terrorism must STOP, unconditional support to Israel must END” was a Twitter post in English this morning by Lolwah Al Khater, the assistant foreign minister of Qatar, where the broadcaster is located.
The other journalist injured, Ali Samodi was – according to the Palestinian health ministry – shot in the back but is not in serious condition. Samoudi, who works for the Al Quds network, was quoted by WAFA as saying that alongside his Al Jazeera colleague he was with a group of other reporters “near UNRWA schools near the Jenin camp”, when the group was “directly targeted by the occupation forces”. Palestinian, Shirin Abu Akleh was considered a veteran journalist and had worked for Al Jazeera since 1997.
