Shireen Abu Akleh, killed while covering Israeli raid, chose journalism to be close to people

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian Health Ministry on Wednesday said the Israeli forces shot dead Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh when she was covering an Israeli raid in the northern Jenin city of the occupied West Bank.

Another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi, was shot in the back, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera network accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing the veteran journalist.

It termed the killing a “heinous crime, which intends to only prevent the media from conducting their duty”.

“Al Jazeera holds the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for the killing of Shireen,” it said, calling on the international community “to condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for their intentional targeting and killing” of the reporter.

Who was Shireen Abu Akleh?

Abu Akleh was born in Jerusalem in 1971 and over the past two and a half decades, she was one of Al Jazeera elite journalists covering the situation across the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian journalist had a BA degree in journalism and media from Jordan’s Yarmouk University.

After her graduation, she worked for local and international media agencies including the official Palestine Voice radio and Radio Monte Carlo.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh said the Palestinian journalists are “always accused by the Israeli army” and that they always feel like they are targeted.

“Wherever you put your camera, they (the Israeli forces) consider you are filming in a prohibited place,” Abu Akleh said, adding that she chose journalism to be close to people.

Israeli army to probe her killing

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the city of Jenin to arrest a Palestinian, triggering clashes with angry residents.

The Israeli army said in a statement that it was “investigating” the journalist’s death.

The army suggested that the Al Jazeera correspondent may have been shot by Palestinians as they clashed with Israeli forces, which “responded with fire, without causing any casualties.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid proposed to the Palestinian Authority a joint pathological investigation into the reporter’s death. “Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth,” Lapid tweeted.