Arabnews24.ca:Wednesday 11 May 2022 04:53 AM: The Al Jazeera reporter was struck by a bullet while covering an Israeli raid on a Palestinian city
Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist who worked with Al Jazeera for over two decades, was killed on Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid on the city of Jenin in the northern part of the West Bank. The Palestinian authorities claim the Israeli military shot her in her head.
The 51-year-old was rushed to the hospital after sustaining the critical injury and was pronounced dead there, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, blaming Israeli forces for her death.
Al Jazeera called the incident a “heinous crime” and claimed the Israelis deliberately targeted Abu Akleh to intimidate the media. Eyewitnesses said she was struck by a bullet below her ear, bypassing the helmet she was wearing for protection, the outlet said.
“We call on the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for the deliberate killing of our colleague,” the statement said.
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh)Veteran Al-Jazeera correspondent Shirin Abu Akla killed during IDF operation in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/TxdsdisWmb
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) May 11, 2022
Another Palestinian journalist, Ali Samoudi, was reportedly hit in the back in Jenin on Wednesday and is in stable condition, according to the Palestinian authorities.
The Israeli side has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the death of Abu Akleh. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called her death “sad,” and reached out to Palestinian officials to participate in the autopsy “to get to the truth.”
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid
