Al Jazeera Files Lawsuit against Shireen Abu Akleh's Murder at International Criminal Court, Calls Its Legal Team Has New Evidence

Shireen Abu Akleh. (Twitter/@ShireenNasri)

JAKARTA - Broadcaster Al Jazeera said that they would file a lawsuit at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

They will file a case with the ICC on Tuesday over the death of Abu Akleh by the Israeli occupation forces.

The family is said to later hold a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands with legal experts and Al Jazeera's legal team.

Veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in May while covering an Israeli army attack on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Al Jazeera said its legal team has new evidence showing the correspondent and her colleagues were "directly shot" by Israeli forces.

"Claims by the Israeli authorities that Shireen was killed accidentally in the crossfire are completely unfounded," he said in the statement, as reported by The National News, December 7.

Al Jazeera said its findings "confirm beyond a doubt" that there was no other shooting at the time Abu Akleh was shot, and the journalists, who were wearing press vests and helmets, were in clear view of Israeli troops.

"This deliberate killing is part of a wider campaign to target and silence Al Jazeera," he added.

Abu Akleh's death sparked an international outcry, renewing concern for Palestinian journalists in the occupied territories.

Israel initially sought to blame Palestinian gunmen for his shooting, but later acknowledged Abu Akleh may have been shot "accidentally" by Israeli soldiers.

Washington will press Israel to review its policies and practices regarding its rules of engagement (ROE), after the Israel Defense Forces concluded that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely shot by an Israeli soldier, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Vedant Patel said last September.

"We will continue to press Israel directly and closely at the most senior level to review its policies and practices in this regard (ROE), to ensure that something like this does not happen again in the future," Patel told a news conference.

Last month, Israel issued a strong rebuke to the United States, after it was reported that the US government had opened an investigation into the killing of Abu Akleh.

"IDF soldiers will not be questioned by the FBI or by any foreign agency or foreign country, no matter how friendly," said Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, citing Sputnik News, November 16.

Separately, Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz previously stated: "I will not allow an IDF soldier who is protecting himself from terrorist fire, be prosecuted only to receive applause from abroad."

"I have conveyed a message to US representatives that we stand by the (Israeli) army, that we will not cooperate with external investigations, and will not allow interference with internal investigations," Gantz tweeted.

Meanwhile, the IDF Military Advocate General said it would not press charges against any soldiers, that "there is no suspicion that a bullet was fired intentionally at anyone identified as a civilian, and in particular at anyone identified as a journalist."