An investigation conducted by the Palestinian Authority has concluded that Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli soldiers.
Evidence on Abu Akleh killing
PA prosecutor-general Akram al-Khatib claimed during a press conference in Ramallah on Thursday that the investigators collected “evidence” that showed that the killing of Abu Akleh on May 11 in Jenin was “premeditated” by the IDF.
The PA has refused to hold a joint investigation with Israel into the death of Abu Akleh, who was also a US citizen.
Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh said that the findings of the PA investigation have been handed over to the US administration. He said a copy of the report would also be handed over to the reporter’s family and Al-Jazeera.
Khatib said that a group of journalists were standing in a well-known and open place, 200 meters away from where the IDF troops were stationed.
The journalists, including Abu Akleh, were on a side road leading to the Jabriyat area in Jenin, while the soldiers were stationed in the middle of the street, and there was nothing obstructing their view of the area, Khatib said.
“After the four journalists who were in the area revealed themselves, they began to advance a few meters towards the side street, and the occupation army did not issue any signal to retreat,” he added. “The forces stationed in the middle of the street began shooting towards them, forcing the journalists to withdraw and try and take cover. This is when one of the journalists was wounded in the upper side of the back.”
Armor-piercing bullet
According to the prosecutor general, the soldiers continued to target the journalists despite their attempt to escape from the place, and the shooting was sporadic and direct.
"It has been proven that a member of the occupation forces stationed in the middle of the street fired a live bullet that hit the martyr Abu Akelh in the head from the rear left side while she was trying to escape from the bullets fired by the occupation soldiers."
PA prosecutor-general Akram al-Khatib
“It has been confirmed by the forensic medicine that the cause of death was a brain injury resulting from a gunshot,” Khatib said.
The investigation, he said, indicated that the size of the extensive laceration and the multiple fractures of the skull bone showed that the fired projectile was of high velocity.
An examination of the projectile extracted from the head and helmet of Abu Akleh found that it contains an armor-piercing steel part.
Khatib claimed that the shooting took place directly from the southern side of the place where Abu Akleh was standing. He also claimed that the soldiers were the only ones standing there, at a distance of 170- 180 meters.
Khatib accused the IDF of “directly and deliberately” targeting Abu Akleh and her colleagues on the basis of the type of ammunition, the shooting distance, and the nature and location of the injury.
He claimed that there were no clashes between the Palestinian gunmen and the IDF soldiers during the incident.
Gantz rejection claims
Israel rejected the validity of the findings, given that it was locked out of the investigation with the PA refusing to even hand over the bullet for a ballistics analysis.
Despite multiple requests from Israel, the Palestinians refuse to cooperate, which raises the question of whether they really want to uncover the truth
Defense Minister Benny Gantz
"Even today, I call on the Palestinian Authority to hand over the bullet and all their findings," he explained.
"To this day, we are prepared and willing to conduct an investigation in collaboration with international actors," he added.
An initial IDF probe have weighed two scenarios, one in which Abu Akleh is shot by an army soldier and another by a Palestinian gunman. But without the bullet it can not proof culpability.
"The IDF is conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter in order to reveal the truth. Any claim that the IDF intentionally harms journalists or uninvolved civilians, is a blatant lie," Gantz said.
"We always act with precision, targeting terrorists and taking measures to avoid harm to civilians. We will continue operating in this manner," Gantz said.