LReporter Shireen Abu Akleh, one of the most well-known of the Arab channel Al-Jazeera, was killed Wednesday morning by Israeli army fire while she was covering clashes in the Jenin area in the occupied West Bank, a noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse. The Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Al-Jazeera channel immediately announced the death of this journalist by Israeli army fire during these clashes in Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed factions in the north of the occupied West Bank. Another journalist was injured during these clashes, said hospital sources and an Agence France-Presse photographer on the spot.
Contacted by Agence France-Presse, the Israeli army did not immediately comment on the death of this journalist from the Al-Jazeera channel, which comes almost a year to the day after the destruction of the Jalaa tower, where the offices of the Qatari channel were located in the Gaza Strip, during an Israeli airstrike in the midst of a war between the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Jewish state.
France has “demanded” an investigation into the “deeply shocking” death of American-Palestinian Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot and killed on Wednesday while covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin, Occupied West Bank. “France demands that a transparent investigation be undertaken as soon as possible to shed full light on the circumstances of this tragedy,” said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an electronic press briefing.
Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for a ‘thorough investigation’ into the death of Palestinian-American Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot and killed on Wednesday while covering an army operation Israeli forces in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. “The killing of a clearly identified journalist in a conflict zone is a violation of international law,” Azoulay said in a statement, calling for an investigation to bring “those responsible to justice.”
Al-Jazeera condemns ‘heinous crime’
In a statement, Al-Jazeera said Shireen Abu Akleh was killed “in cold blood” by Israeli forces, saying the journalist was wearing a jacket that identified her as a journalist. “Al-Jazeera condemns this heinous crime, which aims to prevent the media from doing their job,” said the Qatari channel, calling on the international community to “hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for intentionally targeting and killing Shireen”. The Qatari authorities for their part indicated that the Al-Jazeera journalist had been killed after being shot “in the face” while she was wearing a “press” vest.
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For its part, the Israeli army finally indicated in a statement that it had carried out operations in the Palestinian camp of Jenin in the past few hours, and other areas of the West Bank, in order to “apprehend people suspected of terrorism”. . “During these counter-terrorism activities in the Palestinian camp in Jenin, dozens of Palestinian gunmen opened fire and threw explosive objects at the Israeli forces, threatening their lives. The soldiers responded. People were hit,” the Israeli army said. “The military is investigating these events and is considering the possibility that the journalists were hit by Palestinian gunmen,” the statement added.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett later claimed that the journalist was “probably” killed by Palestinian fire, not Israeli fire. “Based on the information we have gathered, it seems likely that armed Palestinians, who opened fire indiscriminately at this time, were responsible for the journalist’s unfortunate death,” he said in a statement.
Since March 22, Israel has been the target of a series of attacks that have killed at least 18 people. Two of his attacks were perpetrated by Israeli Arabs, and four of them by Palestinians, including three young people from Jenin, where the Israeli army has stepped up operations in recent weeks.