Al Jazeera says Israel army shot dead Palestine journalist in ‘cold blood’
Cairo, May 11 (EFE).- Al Jazeera media network Wednesday accused Israel of killing its correspondent in Palestine in “cold blood” during a raid by the Israeli army in the Jenin city of the occupied West Bank.
A bullet hit Palestinian Shireen Abu Akleh while covering Israeli raids in the city wearing a press vest.
The journalist was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but was declared dead there, said the Palestinian health ministry.
The Qatar-based media network said it was “a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms.”
“The Israeli occupation forces assassinated (the journalist) in cold blood … targeting her with live fire while conducting her journalistic duty,” an Al Jazeera statement said.
The TV network said she was wearing a press jacket that identified her as a journalist.
Another journalist, Al Jazeera producer Ali Al-Samudi, was also shot in the back while covering the same event. He is undergoing treatment and is stable.
“Al Jazeera condemns this heinous crime, which intends to only prevent the media from conducting their duty. Al Jazeera holds the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Sherine,” it said.
The media network called on the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for “their intentional targeting and killing of Shireen.”
The slain journalist had been working for Al Jazeera since the start of the second Intifada.
The Israeli army said armed suspects opened fire on security forces and threw explosives during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp, prompting the soldiers to return the fire.
“The (Israel Defense Forces) IDF is investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen,” the army tweeted.
Over the past month, security forces have intensified raids across the occupied West Bank, particularly in the Jenin area, in response to a wave of deadly attacks that have killed 18 Israelis.
Some 30 Palestinians have died during these operations, some of them unarmed civilians with no links to Palestinian militias. EFE
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