Al Jazeera Journalist was deliberately shot and killed by Israeli forces, Palestinian probe finds

The findings echoed the outcome of a preliminary investigation announced nearly two weeks ago and were widely expected amid global outrage over the killing of the veteran unarmed Journalist. Speaking to Journalists in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, Akram al-Khatib, the Palestinian Attorney General said, “It was clear that one of the [Israeli] occupation forces…had fired a bullet that hit Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh directly in her head” while she was trying to escape.

Israel rejected the findings, with the defence minister, Benny Gantz, calling them, “a deliberate lie”.

Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American Journalist from Al Jazeera was shot in the head on 11 May while she was covering an Israeli raid in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank. The 51-year-old Journalist was wearing a helmet and a vest with the word “PRESS” clearly visible.

Announcing the results of his investigation at a news conference in Ramalah al-Khatib said, he had determined there was no militants in the immediate area around Abu Akleh. “The only shooting was by the occupation forces, with the aim of killing,” he said.

Al-Khatib said the army saw the Journalist and they knew who they were shooting. He accused the Israeli troops of shooting Abu Akleh “directly and deliberately” as she tried to escape. Al-Khatib said the investigation was based on the inspection at the scene, interviews with witnesses and a forensic medical report.

Source: Al Jazeera, The Guardian, image from Al Jazeera

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

See Full Bio