Israeli soldier deliberately shot Al Jazeera reporter, Palestinian official says

RAMALLAH, West Lender, Could 26 (Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority said on Thursday 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 angrily denied the accusation and mentioned it was continuing its individual investigations into the dying of Abu Akleh, who died on May well 11 although she was masking an Israeli military services raid in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Financial institution.

The Israeli military experienced stated earlier that she may have been shot accidentally by a single of its soldiers or by a Palestinian militant in an exchange of fireplace.

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Palestinian Attorney General Akram Al-Khatib informed reporters that its enquiry showed there experienced been no militants near to Abu Akleh when she died.

“The only source of fire in that spot came from the occupation forces with the intention to kill,” Al-Khatib reported, referring to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

He extra that Abu Akleh, who experienced been donning a helmet and a press vest that evidently marked her as a journalist, experienced tried out to flee with some fellow reporters as the initial shots rang out. “It represents a war criminal offense,” Al-Khatib mentioned.

Qatar’s Al Jazeera Tv set Community stated it would refer the killing to the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC). study far more

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz turned down the conclusions.

“Any declare that the IDF deliberately harms journalists or uninvolved civilians, is a blatant lie,” he wrote on Twitter.

He reiterated his phone for the Palestinians to cooperate with Israel in the investigation and hand about the bullet for ballistic assessments to see if it matched an Israeli armed forces gun.

The Palestinians say they do not have confidence in Israel and have refused to hold a joint probe.

Al-Khatib reported checks confirmed that the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was a 5.56 mm spherical fired from a Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle, which is made use of by the Israeli armed forces.

That same 5.56 calibre can also be fired from M-16 rifles that are carried by lots of Palestinian militants. Al-Khatib did not say how he was confident it experienced arrive from an Israeli rifle.

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

“I proceed to connect with on the PA to hand more than the bullet and findings. We are prepared and inclined to perform an investigation in collaboration with global actors,” Gantz stated on Thursday.

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Added reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi Writing by Henriette Chacar and Crispian Balmer Enhancing by Howard Goller

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