Shireen Abu Akleh: Al Jazeera journalist ‘shot dead by Israeli troops’

A veteran Al Jazeera journalist was shot dead by Israeli troops while covering a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Al Jazeera and the health ministry confirmed that Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, died during an Israeli operation this morning. A second Palestinian journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, who was working for the Al-Quds newspaper, based in Jerusalem, was wounded but was said to be in a stable condition.

The health ministry claims that the reporters were hit by Israeli fire. Video of the incident shows Abu Akleh wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked “PRESS”. Al Jazeera said she had been killed “in cold blood”.

Journalist killed in West Bank

Lolwah al-Khater, Qatar’s assistant foreign minister, said Abu Akleh had been shot “in the face” and condemned “state-sponsored Israeli terrorism”. He wrote on Twitter that she had been “wearing the press vest and a helmet”, adding: “Unconditional support to Israel must end.”

The Israeli army said there had been an exchange of fire between suspects and security forces in the Jenin refugee camp — which is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups in the northern West Bank.

It said that it was investigating whether the “journalists were wounded, possibly by Palestinian gunfire”.

Yair Lapid, the Israeli foreign minister, said: “We have offered the Palestinians a joint pathological investigation into the sad death of [Abu Akleh]. Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth.

Journalists escort the body of Abu Akleh at the hospital in Jenin

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

“Israel’s security forces will continue to operate wherever necessary to prevent terrorism and the murder of Israelis.”

Tensions have risen in recent months in Israel after a series of deadly attacks on Israeli civilians.

At least 19 Israelis have died in random attacks by Palestinians since mid-March. Three died and seven were injured in the most recent incident, last Thursday, when two men leapt from a car and started swinging axes at passers-by in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox town of Elad. A manhunt ended with the arrest of two Palestinians hiding in a forest.

Some 30 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs died during the same period, according to AFP.