She is said to have been wearing a vest clearly marked as 'PRESS'
Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has been shot dead during a raid by
Israeli forces in
West Bank.
According to the news outlet, Akleh was shot by
IDF troops carrying out raids in the city of Jenin, located within the historically contested region, before being rushed to hospital in critical condition.
https://twitter.com/rafsanchez/status/1524264449854644225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1524264449854644225%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
Sadly, Al Jazeera journalists and the
Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that she was declared dead at the hospital shortly after. Colleague Nida Ibrahim claims video footage shows her being shot in the head.
Moreover, she is said to have been wearing a body armour vest clearly marked 'PRESS' (as is standard safety protocol for those reporting in regions of conflict) when she was caught up in the gunfire.
Sharing an image of her in the said vest, Husam Zomlot - ambassador and Head of Palestinian Mission to the UK - labelled the fatal shooting as an "assassination".
https://twitter.com/hzomlot/status/1524247898346737666?s=20&t=uE0Dqu_UlQTcM8FkTpyZ0w
Another journalist, Ali Samoudi, who works for the Jerusalem-based
Quds newspaper, was also wounded after being
shot in the back during the firefight; he is said to be in a stable condition.
Al Jazeera network has called on the international community to "condemn" the act, alleging that soldiers deliberately targeted the Palestinian reporter, who was a prominent journalist and recognisable face across the Middle East, having covered the
Israeli-Palestine conflict for more than 15 years.
https://twitter.com/arwaib/status/1524273867367366657?s=20&t=uE0Dqu_UlQTcM8FkTpyZ0w
Meanwhile, the Israeli military says they fired back after coming under attack from heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin and are “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”
IDF Spokesperson
Ran Kohav later told Kan public broadcaster, "I don't think we killed her", going on to add that while he urges for a joint investigation, Palestinians “might have a good reason” not to cooperate.
Rest in peace.
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