Wednesday 11 May 2022

Veteran Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli forces: Live news

 Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp when she was shot in the face.

Shireen Abu Akleh
Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian veteran Al Jazeera journalist, was shot in the face by Israeli forces during a raid into Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank [Al Jazeera]
  • Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has been shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
  • The 51-year-old was covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp when she was shot in the face by a single bullet, despite wearing a press vest
  • Another Palestinian journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was wounded in the back but is in stable condition.
  • Al Jazeera, in a statement, said Abu Akleh was “assassinated in cold blood” and called on the international community to hold Israeli forces responsible.
INTERACTIVE Shireen Abu Akleh killed
(Al Jazeera)

Here are the latest updates:


6 mins ago (08:16 GMT)

US ambassador to Israel calls for investigation

Tom Nides, the United States envoy to Israel, has called for a probe into the killing of Abu Akleh, who holds US citizenship.

“Very said to learn of the death of American and Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” he tweeted. “I encourage a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin.”


15 mins ago (08:06 GMT)

HRW: Abu Akleh death not a ‘one-off event’

Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine Director for Human Rights Watch, said Abu Akleh’s death by Israeli forces is not unusual.

“We know that Israeli forces systematically have used excessive force,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is an event that needs to be understood in the context of this systemic practice and the killings of many other Palestinian journalists.”

Shakir went on to describe Israeli investigations as a “white washed mechanism”.

“That is the assessment that’s been reached by human rights organisations including Israeli’s premier human rights organisation B’Tselem,” he said. “When news of crimes is reported, Israeli forces regularly say they’ll investigate. The reality is there is no accountability for those sorts of abuses when it comes to actions by the Israeli authorities.”


28 mins ago (07:53 GMT)

Palestinian fighters were not at the scene, journalist says

Ali al-Samoudi, the Al Jazeera journalist who was also shot by Israeli forces next to Abu Akleh but is now in stable condition, said there was no presence of Palestinian armed fighters at the scene.

“We were going to film the Israeli army raid, and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” he said.

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen. They killed her in cold blood because they are killers and they specialize in killing only the Palestinian people.

“There was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene,” he added.


46 mins ago (07:35 GMT)

Israeli army denies targeting journalists, offers joint investigation

The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted an operation early Wednesday in Jenin refugee camp, but denied that it had deliberately targeted journalists.

“The (army) of course does not aim at journalists,” a military official said.

The army said there was an exchange of fire between suspects and security forces and that it was “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”

Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid said Israel has offered a joint investigation with the Palestinians.


56 mins ago (07:25 GMT)

Shireen Abu Akleh was ‘professional and persevering’

Al Jazeera reporters have offered their condolences to Abu Akleh’s family and mourned her loss.

“Shireen, for every Palestinian journalist and for every Arab journalist, is a model we lost today,” Al Jazeera journalist Tamer Mishal said. “The tragic pictures that we saw on social media, shot in the head, show that it came from an Israeli sniper who fired a bullet directly at her.”

“Till the very last second, Shireen Abu Akleh was professional and persevering,” he added.

The last message Abu Akleh sent to Al Jazeera was an email at 6:13am in which she wrote: “Occupation forces storm Jenin and besiege a house in the Jabriyat neighbourhood. On the way there, I will bring you news as soon as the picture becomes clear.”

Shireen Abu Akleh
Shireen Abu Akleh [Al Jazeera]

1 hour ago (07:11 GMT)

Journalist recounts moment Abu Akleh was targeted by Israeli forces

Shatha Hanaysha, a reporter who was traveling in the same vehicle as Abu Akleh, told Al Jazeera about the Israeli army was adamant on shooting to kill”.

“We were all wearing vests and helmets,” Hanaysha said. “We were four journalists in an exposed area. There were no confrontations or shots being fired by Palestinian fighters.”

The Israeli army was stationed in front of them Hanaysha said, and behind them was a wall.

“The occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed,” she said. “I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots.”


1 hour ago (07:04 GMT)

Palestinian Authority holds Israel responsible for killing

The Palestinian Authority presidency has denounced Abu Akleh’s killing as a “crime of execution”.

“The presidency holds the Israeli government fully responsible for this heinous crime,” it said in a statement.

The statement said Abu Akleh’s killing “is part of the occupation’s policy of targeting journalists to obscure the truth and commit crimes silently”.


2 hours ago (06:51 GMT)

Israel does ‘not take investigations seriously’: rights lawyer

A Palestinian human rights lawyer said Israeli authorities do not take investigations seriously, and there is little chance of holding Israel accountable for the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.

“Every time that there are complaints about specific incidents about alleged war crimes, crimes against humanities or violations against international law happening in the occupied territory, the Israeli army doesn’t take the investigation seriously,” Mounir Nesseba, who is also a professor of international law at al-Quds University, said.

“There is total impunity in Israel, [and] we do not expect Israel to hold those responsible accountable.”

Nesseba said that what is needed is an international intervention”.

“ICC has jurisdiction in Palestine and is responsible for investigating war crimes in Palestine,” he said. “We expect them to act in this way.”


2 hours ago (06:32 GMT)

Al Jazeera condemns ‘blatant murder’

In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the “blatant murder” that violates “international laws and norms”, and called Abu Akleh’s death as a “heinous crime, through which it is intended to prevent the media from fulfilling its message”.

“We hold the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of the late colleague Shireen,” the statement said.

Al Jazeera Media Network called on the international community hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for their “intentional targeting and killing” of Abu Akleh.


3 hours ago (05:49 GMT)

Qatari official calls for end of ‘state sponsored Israeli terrorism’

Qatar’s deputy foreign minister condemned the killing of the Al Jazeera reporter by “Israeli occupation” in the West Bank.

In a Twitter post, she called for an end to “state sponsored Israeli terrorism”.


3 hours ago (05:44 GMT)

Al Jazeera ‘shocked and saddened’ by killing

Giles Trendle, Al Jazeera’s managing director, said that the network was “shocked and saddened” by the killing of Abu Akleh.

Trendle reminded that a building housing the offices of Al Jazeera as well as other media organisations, including The Associated Press news agency, was bombed less than a year ago during Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

“We have had a history throughout the world but particularly in this region, where we have had tragedies,” he said, calling for a transparent investigation of the killing of Abu Akleh.

“As journalists, we carry on. Our mission is to carry on. We will not be silenced despite attempts to silence us,” Trendle also said.

“Our mission is always to carry on to inform the world what is happening. And that is more important ever.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/11/veteran-al-jazeera-journalist-killed-by-israeli-forces-live-news

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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