Who was Shireen Abu Akleh? How did she die?
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian American Al Jazeera journalist who was wearing a press vest in the occupied West Bank. Shireen Abu Akleh was 51. Israeli soldiers shot her in the head during raids in Jenin, say other journalists: “They killed her in cold blood.”
Israel says it is investigating the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank. Israel claims journalists were “armed with cameras.” Other journalists say soldiers “did not stop firing even after she collapsed.”
Who was Shireen Abu Akleh?
Shireen Abu Akleh, Born on 3 January 1971 was a Palestinian-American journalist.
She worked as a reporter for the Arabic-language channel of Al Jazeera for 25 years before she was killed on 11 May 2022, while covering a raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces.
Abu Akleh was born in 1971 in Jerusalem; her family were Arab Christians from Bethlehem. She attended secondary school in Beit Hanina, then matriculated at the Jordan University of Science and Technology to study architecture; she later transferred to Yarmouk University in Jordan from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. After graduating, Abu Akleh returned to Palestine.
How did Shireen Abu Akleh die?
On 11 May 2022, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Abu Akleh had been shot and killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while reporting on IDF raids in Jenin.
Abu Akleh was present at a raid that the Israeli military stated was targeted at capturing “terror suspects”.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head by the IDF, and transported to Ibn Sina Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
She was 51 years old. Another journalist, Ali Samoadi of Al-Quds newspaper, was shot in the back but survived; two other Palestinians were transported to a hospital in moderate condition.
Haaretz reported that Palestinian militants had fired on IDF soldiers, after which the soldiers returned fire;
Al Jazeera reported that according to their Ramallah bureau chief, Walid Al-Omari, there was no shooting by Palestinian gunmen.
Al-Omari also stated that Abu Akleh had been wearing a helmet and was shot in an unprotected area under her ear, suggesting that this demonstrated she was “deliberately targeted”.
Video of the shooting showed Abu Akleh wearing a blue flak jacket that was clearly marked “PRESS“.
