Israeli soldier deliberately shot reporter: Palestinian official

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian Authority said its investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh showed that she was shot by an Israeli soldier in a “deliberate murder”.

Israel denied the accusation and said it was continuing its own investigations into the death of Abu Akleh, who was killed on May 11 while she was covering an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army had said previously that she might have been shot accidentally by one of its soldiers or by a Palestinian in an exchange of fire. Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV Network said it would refer the killing to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib told reporters that its enquiry showed there had been no militants close to Abu Akleh when she died. “The only source of fire in that place came from the occupation forces with the intention to kill,” Al-Khatib said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

He added that Abu Akleh, who had been wearing a helmet and a press vest that clearly marked her as a journalist, had tried to flee with some fellow reporters as the first shots rang out. “It represents a war crime,” Al-Khatib said.

Al-Khatib said tests showed that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was a 5.56 mm round fired from a Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle, which is used by the Israeli military.

That same 5.56 calibre can also be fired from M-16 rifles that are carried by many Palestinian militants. Al-Khatib did not say how he was sure it had come from an Israeli rifle.

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Al-Khatib said his investigation was based on interviews with witnesses, an inspection of the scene and a forensic medical report. Witnesses and colleagues present at the scene had previously said Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces.

Al-Khatib said the investigation found there were no Palestinian fighters near the scene of the shooting, contradicting claims made by Israeli officials that she could have been killed by armed protestors.

He said that the Israeli forces were able to see Abu Akleh and other journalists, who were all clearly marked as members of the press.

According al-Khatib, an autopsy and forensic examination conducted in Nablus after Abu Akleh’s death showed she was shot from behind, indicating that she was attempting to flee as Israeli forces continued to fire towards the group of journalists.

During the attack, another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also wounded after being shot in the back. He is in a stable condition. “Ali Samoudi was hit by a bullet in his back, and the Israeli occupation forces continued their attack on the journalists, who tried to escape and leave,” al-Khatib said.

Israel has said the only way to be sure if it was fired by one of its soldiers was to analyse the bullet and see if the markings on it matched the barrel of an Israeli gun.