Death of journalist Sheerin Abu Akla in Jenin: The Office of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement to the media that he had found that the journalist had been killed by IDF gunfire. “We at the UN Office of Human Rights have completed our independent follow-up to the incident,” the statement said.
“All the information we gathered – including official information from the Israeli army and the Palestinian Attorney General – is consistent with the finding that the shootings that killed Abu Akala and wounded colleague Ali Samudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate gunfire by Palestinian militants, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities. We did not find any information indicating that there was activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists. “
The IDF issued an official response to the UN statement calling on the Palestinians to transfer the bullet to Israel and conduct a joint investigation. “The IDF investigation states that the journalist was in no way shot intentionally and it is not possible to determine whether she was killed by Palestinian gunmen who fired uncontrollably in her vicinity or by an IDF soldier inadvertently,” Gantz attacked the investigation. in real”.
Ahead of Biden’s visit to Israel next month, Israel is also preparing for the possibility of a renewed international review of Israel’s conduct in the affair on this issue. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a debate in the Knesset last week regarding the investigation, before the visit.
In Israel, messages were sent after the investigation was circulated: “We again offer the Palestinians to transfer the bullet from which the journalist Shirin Abu-Akala was shot. Anyone who has nothing to hide does not refuse to cooperate. The Palestinian Authority conducts joint investigations with Israel from time to time. A joint investigation attests to their considerations.
“An IDF investigation states that the journalist was not shot on purpose, and that it is not possible to know whether she was killed by Palestinian gunmen (who fired uncontrollably at her surroundings) or by an IDF soldier by accident. The context is important – this is an operational incident as part of arrests in the Jenin refugee camp, in which an exchange of fire between IDF forces and Palestinian militants developed, against the background of a murderous wave of terrorism. Meanwhile, a senior officer with unique technological expertise from the Intelligence Division was added to the operational investigation team. “
The Palestinian prosecutor published the conclusions of the investigation into Abu Akla’s death a month ago and said at a press conference that the conclusions of the investigation state that “Abu Akla was killed by an IDF bullet while trying to escape.” 200 meters from Abu Akala and other journalists who were at the scene. “The position of the journalists was exposed and nothing interfered with the force’s angle of view. “After the four journalists exposed themselves and wore journalistic clothing, the occupation forces advanced on the street a few meters away and they did not tell them to stay away,” he claimed.
“Occupying forces began firing in their direction without warning. This led them to retreat,” the PA prosecutor general continued. “The occupying forces in the center of the street began firing and wounded journalist Sheerin Abu Akala directly in the head from the back-left side during her attempt to escape the continuous firing fired by the occupation soldiers.
First publication: The security forces were able to obtain imaging footage of the body of a journalist in Al Jazeera. @shelleytap With all the details in#EveningNews pic.twitter.com/Kldunf88yB
– News here (@kann_news) May 12, 2022
Defense Minister Bnei Gantz responded to the findings of the investigation and said: “Any claim that the IDF intentionally harms journalists or the uninvolved is a gross and blatant lie. “Investigations and lessons learned are not carried out at press conferences, but in closed rooms, and while transmitting information.”
CNN also published an independent investigation, according to which the journalist was killed as a result of a “deliberate” attack by the Israeli forces. According to expert video and audio analysis, Abu Akala was shot at a distance of about 200 meters, with eyewitnesses claiming that there were no armed Palestinians or armed clashes near her. That morning, the IDF clarified that armed terrorists fired on the fighters who were in counterterrorism operations in Jenin, indiscriminately. In a CNN investigation, quotes from experts who analyzed videos obtained by the network were quoted.
IDF Interim Investigation: She was killed by gunfire or gunfire
The interim findings of the IDF incident investigation revealed that the journalist was killed by gunfire or by a soldier firing through a slit in the jeep. They added that receiving the bullet, which the Palestinians refuse to transfer to Israel, would help decide this question.
The IDF added: “Since the incident, the army has been investigating and investigating the circumstances of the reporter’s death. At the end of the interim investigation, a number of other details remain that require clarification, but the picture becomes clearer about the incident and the various possibilities for the shooting that led to her death. The conclusion from the interim investigation is that it is not possible to determine the source of the shooting that hit and killed the reporter. “