Journalists continue to come under attack across the globe-- this time in Israel. Al-Jazeera's Shireen Abu Aqleh was covering unrest in the Jenin refugee camp (a historic flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) when she was shot in the head and killed earlier this month. The Qatar-based TV channel said Israeli forces shot Abu Aqleh deliberately and "in cold blood".
"The Israeli occupation forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera's correspondent in Palestine,” said Al Jazeera. It called on the international community to hold the Israeli forces accountable for their "intentional targeting and killing" of the journalist.
Another Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al-Samudi, was wounded in the incident, the broadcaster added. Al-Samoudi and other journalists at the scene said there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot, directly disputing an Israeli statement referencing the possibility that it was Palestinian fire. “We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” said al-Samoudi. Abu Aqleh was wearing a press flak jacket when she was shot. The Israeli army later confirmed it had conducted an operation in the camp.
Shatha Hanaysha, a local journalist who was standing next to Abu Akleh when she was shot, also told Al Jazeera that there had been no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army. She said the group of journalists had been directly targeted. “We were four journalists, we were all wearing vests, all wearing helmets,” Hanaysha said. “The [Israeli] occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed. I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots being fired. The army was adamant on shooting to kill.”
Abu Akleh, who was a dual Palestinian-American national, was one of Al Jazeera’s first field correspondents, joining the network in 1997. Palestinian MP Khalida Jarrar said that Abu Akleh was the voice of Palestinians and was killed by “the monstrosity of Israeli colonialism and occupation”. Palestinian Authority (PA) government spokesperson Ibrahim Melhem described it as a comprehensive crime committed against a well-known journalist. “The killing was deliberate… There will be an autopsy by Palestinian medics, which will be followed by a report including all the details of the killing,” Melhem told Al Jazeera. “However, all the witnesses present at the scene of the crime ensures that it was an Israeli sniper that committed the crime in a deliberate way.”
Israeli forces compounded their deliberate cruelty by attacking mourners of the journalist and creating chaos at her funeral. While thousands flocked to Jerusalem to pay their respects to the Aqleh, disturbing footage from the funeral showed Israeli security forces attacking the crowd of mourners. A group of people carrying the casket from the hospital towards a church in the Old City can be seen being hit by the forces with batons. At one point the coffin toppled to the ground as chaos ensued when the officers also fired tear gas.
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