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Israeli military investigators have determined that an Israeli soldier was likely responsible for the May shooting death of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, according to a briefing given to the Associated Press and reporters on Monday. The military indicated it would not pursue a criminal probe into Abu Akleh’s death.
Multiple independent investigations in the aftermath of Abu Akleh’s death, including by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, determined that the gunfire had likely come from a contingent of IDF soldiers. At the time of her death the Isralei military denied assertions from Al Jazeera reporters at the scene who indicated that Abu Akleh had been killed by IDF forces.
In the Monday briefing, the IDF declined to specify the exact origin of the gunfire that killed Abu Akleh, once again claiming there may have been Palestinian militants in the area. But the IDF admitted that there was a “very high likelihood” that Abu Akleh was mistakenly killed by an IDF soldier who “misidentified her.”
Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American repeorter renowned for her two-plus decades of work at Al Jazeera, was killed on May 11th wile reporting on an Isreali military raid of the Jenin refugee camp in Palestine’s West Bank.
Video footage captured Abu Akleh’s death and the injuries of another Al Jazeera reporter, both were wearing helmets and vests indicating they were press. The killing sparked international grief and outrage, with thousands attending her funeral, which was disrupted by IDF forces. In response to the results of the probe Abu Akleh’s family indicated they were “deeply hurt, frustrated, and disappointed” that the IDF report “tried to obscure the truth and avoid responsibility” and reiterated calls for an independent investigation by the United States.
