The Palestinian health ministry confirmed Abu Akleh’s death and said a second reporter, Ali Samodi, had been wounded. In a statement, the Israeli military said that its troops had shot back after coming under “massive fire” in Jenin and that “there is a possibility, now being looked into, that reporters were hit – possibly by shoots fired by Palestinian gunmen”.A well-known Palestinian female reporter for Az Jazeera’s Arabic language channel, Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and died soon afterward.
Abu Akleh, 51, was born in Jerusalem. She began working for Al-Jazeera in 1997 and regularly reported on-camera from across the Palestinian territories. In video footage of the incident, Abu Akleh can be seen wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked with the word “PRESS”.The Israeli military said its forces came under attack with heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin, and that they fired back. The military said it is “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen”.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said it had proposed to the Palestinian Authority a joint pathological investigation into the reporter’s death. “Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth,” he tweeted.
Qatari official condemns killing of Al Jazeera reporter
Qatar’s deputy foreign minister condemned the killing of an Al Jazeera reporter by “Israeli occupation” in the West Bank. In a Twitter post, the minister called for an end to “state-sponsored Israeli terrorism”.
