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Rabat – The United Nations announced on Friday that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by shots fired by Israeli forces.
The UN’s Human Rights office said in a statement that information gathered from both the Israeli military and the Palestinian Attorney General indicates that Abu Akleh and her colleague Ali Sammoudi were shot by Israeli security forces, rather than indiscriminate firing by Palestinians.
“We have found no information suggesting that there was activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists,” a statement by Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reads.
“More than six weeks after the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the injury of her colleague Ali Sammoudi in Jenin on 11 May 2022, it is deeply disturbing that Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation,” she also adds.
The statement details the journalists’ movements and activities prior to being shot at, including their deliberately slow and careful movements so as to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
The bullets fired towards the journalists were “seemingly well-aimed,” according to the UN, supporting the theory that the killing purposefully targeted members of the press.
No warnings were issued, and the journalists were clearly marked in full press gear, the UN announced, urging Israel to open a criminal investigation into the killing and other violations against Palestinians in the region.
Since the beginning of the year, the Human Rights Office verified that Israel has killed 58 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 13 children.
Abu Akleh was shot dead on May 11 while covering Israeli raids in the Jenin camp in the West Bank, sparking outrage across the Arab World, as tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Palestinians.
One of the Arab World’s most iconic journalists, Abu Akleh had been covering the conflict in Palestine since 1997.
Read also: Israeli Forces Assault Mourners Carrying Abu Akleh’s Coffin
