Shireen Abu Akleh cause of death

Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist, was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Despite wearing a press vest, the 51-year-old was shot in the face by a single bullet while covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp.

Ali al-Samoudi, another Palestinian journalist, was injured in the back but is in stable condition. According to Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh was “assassinated in cold blood,” and the international community should hold Israeli forces accountable.

Shireen Abu Akleh cause of death

Amnesty International issued a statement calling for an end to Israel’s “illegal killings” and other apartheid crimes against Palestinians.

“The killing of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is a bloody reminder of the deadly system in which Israel locks Palestinians,” said Saleh Higazi, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

According to the statement, Palestinians have been killed or injured as a result of Israeli forces using excessive force when policing protests or conducting search and arrest raids, in cases that amount to extrajudicial executions – a crime under international law.

Another journalist and eyewitness recounts the moment of the shooting

Mujahed al-Saadi, a Palestinian journalist who was among the journalists who went into the Jenin refugee camp, said he was waiting for his colleagues to arrive before the shooting started.

“We were waiting for our colleagues to enter the refugee camp,” he said. “We chose a point that did not have confrontations between the Israeli army and the armed fighters. We waited for Shireen to put on all of her safety gear. She then reached us then we moved a few metres.

“Then within seconds, there was the first shot. I told them that we are being targeted, that we had been shot at. I turned and found Shireen on the ground. I found Shatha [Hanaysha] shielding herself by a tree and screaming. The shooting continued for more than three minutes. [Al Jazeera journalist] Ali [al-Samoudi] was injured, he was able to cross the street and get to a point of safety.

The shooting toward Shatha continued while she was standing under the tree.

“We could not provide first aid to Shireen. The youth in the street came to us and tried to pull Shireen out but were also shot at. Whenever anyone moved forward, they were shot at.”