The Israeli military has concluded there’s a “high possibility” a journalist who died whereas overlaying a raid within the occupied West Bank was killed by considered one of its troopers.
Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was working for Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel when she was shot within the metropolis of Jenin on 11 May.
She died quickly afterwards.
Her employer later launched a press release saying the reporter was “assassinated in cold blood” by Israel.
Following an inner investigation, the Israeli army mentioned on Monday: “There is a high possibility that Ms Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen.”
A senior official mentioned the army won’t be launching a prison probe into what occurred and in consequence, neither the soldier nor anybody in his chain of command will likely be punished.
The Palestinians additionally blamed Israel for the killing.
Israel initially mentioned Ms Abu Akleh could have been shot by militants, however later mentioned a soldier could have hit her by chance throughout an alternate of fireside.
The outcomes of the investigation discovered that troops conducting operations in Jenin had come underneath heavy hearth from all sides and had fired again, together with in direction of the world the place Ms Abu Akleh was standing.
It was about 200 metres from their place, however the Israeli army mentioned that the troopers had not been capable of determine her as a journalist.
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It mentioned it was additionally doable she was hit by Palestinian gunmen.
A senior army official who briefed journalists on the findings of the investigations mentioned: “We can say for 100% sure that no IDF soldier intentionally directed fire on a reporter or non-involved person on the ground.”
Palestinian officers and Ms Abu Akleh’s family have mentioned they consider she was killed intentionally they usually have rejected Israeli assertions that there have been militants close by.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, mentioned: “All evidence, facts and investigations that have been conducted proved that Israel was the perpetrator and that it had killed Shireen and it should bear responsibility for its crime.”
A forensic examination carried out by the US of the bullet which killed her failed to succeed in any conclusion as a result of the bullet was too badly broken.
Source: information.sky.com”