Sherine Abu Akle, a journalist for the Qatari channel Al Jazeera, was shot dead by the Israeli army on Wednesday morning while covering the Israeli military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
The photographer told AFP that the Israeli army opened fire during the raids and that he saw a corpse in a journalists’ bulletproof suit before he later discovered it belonged to journalist Abu Akla.
The Israeli army confirmed in a statement that it was “investigating the possibility of journalists being injured, possibly as a result of Palestinian fire.”
Israeli Prime Minister Bennett later said in a statement: “According to the information we have collected, it seems likely that armed Palestinians, who were firing indiscriminately at the time, were responsible for the unfortunate death of a journalist” who was covering the military operation. in the Jenin camp. Al Jazeera called on “the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli occupying forces accountable for the deliberate attack and murder of Abu Akila” and vowed to “prosecute those responsible, no matter how hard they try to cover up their crime.” and bring them to justice.”
“We have offered the Palestinians a joint investigation” into Abu Akle’s death, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter, adding that Israeli security forces will continue “to act where necessary to prevent terrorism and prevent the killing of Israelis.”
The Palestinian President condemned the “crime of the Israeli occupying forces’ execution of journalist Shirin Abu Akle,” holding “the Israeli government fully responsible for this heinous crime.” constitutes a clear violation of international laws and regulations and requires immediate investigation and accountability.
The organization stressed that the persecution by the Israeli occupying forces of journalist Abu Akila, as she carried out her journalistic duties along the way to report the facts and document the crimes he commits against the Palestinian people, takes place in the context of Israel’s violations of press and media freedoms, and as part of its a policy aimed at confiscating the truth, gagging, covering up their daily transgressions and preventing it from being shared with the world community. The Organization held Israel, the occupying Power, fully responsible for this heinous crime and called on the relevant international institutions to take immediate action to ensure justice and provide the necessary protection for journalists and media workers working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in accordance with international humanitarian law and relevant international conventions.
In turn, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the heinous murder in the strongest possible terms. Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, spokesman for the ministry, stressed that this crime against a Palestinian journalist in the course of her work is a flagrant violation of the norms and principles of international humanitarian law and a flagrant infringement on freedom of the press and media. and the right to express an opinion calling for the immediate initiation of a comprehensive investigation leading to the speedy administration of justice.
