Israel says “high possibility” journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by IDF fire
The US State Department welcomes the investigation results, while the PA and Abu Akleh’s family rejected them, accusing Israel of murder
Mandi Kogosowski
| 06/09/2022
Vigil in memory of Abu Akleh outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, May 16, 2022. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Nearly four months after the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from, who was fatally shot near Jenin on May 11th, 2022, the IDF completed its investigation and stated that, while it is impossible to unequivocally determine the source of gunfire, there is a high possibility that she was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire, aimed towards suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen.
Abu Akleh, 51, was killed while on assignment, covering clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militias and armed individuals around the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. This was during IDF operation “Break the Wave”, a counterterrorism operation launched by Israel following a series of Palestinian terror attacks, most of them by youngsters from Jenin. Those attacks, which included shooting and stabbing, left 19 Israelis dead in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beer Sheba, Hadera and other places in the country.
Following Abu Akleh’s death, the IDF set up a task force to investigate the incident and try to determine why and how this had happened. Initially, Israel denied that it was an IDF bullet which killed the journalist.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian officials and press throughout the Arab world, and Abu Akheh’s family all accused Israel of murdering the Al Jazeera journalist. The Palestinian Authority also refused to cooperate with the Israeli investigation and did not initially provide the bullet extracted from her body.
In a statement, the IDF said it “turned every stone” in an attempt to reach the truth. It had questioned soldiers involved in the incident, examined various forensic and ballistic findings, and also took into account foreign media reports, audio and visual documentation, and more.
“The death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a devastating incident. The incident took place during operational activity intended to prevent Palestinian terrorism, which calls for the harming of Israeli civilians,” said IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen Aviv Kochavi, in a statement.
“The IDF operates in immensely complex areas at a professional and high-quality level every night, while taking actions to avoid harming non-combatants. The IDF takes great efforts to this end, while working to allow press coverage and the freedom of the press.
“The Palestinian terrorists hide and operate from within the Palestinian population, endangering their lives on an ongoing basis. This is an immense challenge for the IDF, but it is our professional and moral duty to stop and prevent terrorism, as well as achieving our goal - to defend Israeli civilians and the State of Israel."
“We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” said US Department of State’s spokesperson, Ned Price. Abu Akleh was a US citizen.
“The United States has made it a priority to mitigate and respond to civilian harm caused by military operations,” added Price. Not only was Shireen an American citizen, she was a fearless reporter whose journalism and pursuit of truth earned her the respect of audiences around the world.
The Palestinian Authority rejected the IDF investigation results, saying in a statement that this is “a new Israeli attempt to evade responsibility for murder.” Nabil Abu Rudaineh, President Abbas’ spokesman, reiterated his previous call to bring this case before the ICC, saying that “Israel will not be allowed to escape punishment for its ongoing crimes against the Palestinians and their holy sites.”
Abu Akleh’s family also rejected the results, saying in a statement that they would continue to call on the American government to carry out a “through, independent, and credible investigation.”
“As expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen. Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone the Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes,” the family said in the statement.
The US State Department welcomes the investigation results, while the PA and Abu Akleh’s family rejected them, accusing Israel of murder
Vigil in memory of Abu Akleh outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, May 16, 2022. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Nearly four months after the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from, who was fatally shot near Jenin on May 11th, 2022, the IDF completed its investigation and stated that, while it is impossible to unequivocally determine the source of gunfire, there is a high possibility that she was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire, aimed towards suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen.
Abu Akleh, 51, was killed while on assignment, covering clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militias and armed individuals around the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. This was during IDF operation “Break the Wave”, a counterterrorism operation launched by Israel following a series of Palestinian terror attacks, most of them by youngsters from Jenin. Those attacks, which included shooting and stabbing, left 19 Israelis dead in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beer Sheba, Hadera and other places in the country.
Following Abu Akleh’s death, the IDF set up a task force to investigate the incident and try to determine why and how this had happened. Initially, Israel denied that it was an IDF bullet which killed the journalist.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian officials and press throughout the Arab world, and Abu Akheh’s family all accused Israel of murdering the Al Jazeera journalist. The Palestinian Authority also refused to cooperate with the Israeli investigation and did not initially provide the bullet extracted from her body.
In a statement, the IDF said it “turned every stone” in an attempt to reach the truth. It had questioned soldiers involved in the incident, examined various forensic and ballistic findings, and also took into account foreign media reports, audio and visual documentation, and more.
“The death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a devastating incident. The incident took place during operational activity intended to prevent Palestinian terrorism, which calls for the harming of Israeli civilians,” said IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen Aviv Kochavi, in a statement.
“The IDF operates in immensely complex areas at a professional and high-quality level every night, while taking actions to avoid harming non-combatants. The IDF takes great efforts to this end, while working to allow press coverage and the freedom of the press.
“The Palestinian terrorists hide and operate from within the Palestinian population, endangering their lives on an ongoing basis. This is an immense challenge for the IDF, but it is our professional and moral duty to stop and prevent terrorism, as well as achieving our goal - to defend Israeli civilians and the State of Israel."
“We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” said US Department of State’s spokesperson, Ned Price. Abu Akleh was a US citizen.
“The United States has made it a priority to mitigate and respond to civilian harm caused by military operations,” added Price. Not only was Shireen an American citizen, she was a fearless reporter whose journalism and pursuit of truth earned her the respect of audiences around the world.
The Palestinian Authority rejected the IDF investigation results, saying in a statement that this is “a new Israeli attempt to evade responsibility for murder.” Nabil Abu Rudaineh, President Abbas’ spokesman, reiterated his previous call to bring this case before the ICC, saying that “Israel will not be allowed to escape punishment for its ongoing crimes against the Palestinians and their holy sites.”
Abu Akleh’s family also rejected the results, saying in a statement that they would continue to call on the American government to carry out a “through, independent, and credible investigation.”
“As expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen. Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone the Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes,” the family said in the statement.
