The Bullet That Killed Al Jazeera Journalist Is Believed To Have Come From Israeli Military But By Accident

Photo via @ShireenNasri

JAKARTA - An Israeli investigation into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May confirmed the suspicion that the direction of the bullet came from an Israeli soldier. But not intentionally become the target of the operation.

Abu Akleh, a US-Palestinian citizen, was shot and killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli military operation in the volatile West Bank city of Jenin.

The Israeli military said that their forces carrying out the operation in Jenin had come under attack from all sides and they were retaliating. One of the replies to the area where Abu Akleh was standing.

The Israeli military said they could not identify her as a journalist.

Quoted from Channel News Asia, Monday 5 September, there is a possibility that Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF fire. They were targeting a suspect identified as a Palestinian gunman.

"All the evidence, facts, and investigations that have been carried out prove that Israel is the culprit and has killed Shireen and must be held accountable for their crimes," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Israeli investigation, which included interviews with IDF soldiers, analysis of the scene as well as audio and video recordings, found that it was "impossible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire" that killed Abu Akleh.

But Israel has repeatedly denied that it was knowingly targeted by its forces and says investigations show that the army acted in accordance with its rules of engagement.

"We can say 100 percent sure that no IDF soldier intentionally opened fire on a reporter or person not involved on the ground," said a senior military official who informed reporters of the investigation's findings.

A report from the US State Department in July concluded that she may have been killed by gunfire from Israeli positions, but there was no evidence to suggest she was deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.