A reporter was allegedly shot in the head in cold blood by Israeli soldiers during a raid.
51-year-old Shireen Abu Akleh was an Al Jazeera reporter and Palestinian TV personality who had United States citizenship.
According to Qatar-based publication Al Jazeera, the reporter was shot in the face “deliberately” and “in cold blood” by Israeli soldiers who were conducting a raid in the occupied town of Jenin.
“[We] condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for deliberately targeting and assassinating our colleague, Shireen Abu Akleh,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.
In shocking photos shared by the broadcaster, the lifeless body of the reporter is seen lying on the ground just feet away from her shocked colleague who was crouching and covering her mouth in dismay.
While Al Jazeera put the blame for the reporter’s death on Israeli security forces, the Israeli government refused to take responsibility for the incident saying they were “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”
“She may have been shot by Palestinians. She was very close to them. But if soldiers were responsible, we will have to apologize if a mistake was made,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Ran Kochav said.
As of this writing, the IDF Chief of Staff had already spoken out to say that he “regrets” the death of the reporter while insisting it is still unclear who shot her.
“In the course of the [IDF] activity overnight, the Palestinians carried out widespread gunfire at our forces — wild, indiscriminate fire in all directions. The journalist who was killed was present inside the area of the fighting,” IDF head Aviv Kohavi said.
“At this stage, it is not possible to determine whose gunfire she was hit by and we are sorry for her death.”
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