Shireen Abu Akleh killed by Israeli shot – UN human rights
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) — On Friday, Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report in which they cleared up confusion surrounding the death of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin on May 11, confirming that she was killed by Israeli Security Forces.
The report, which is a summary for an independent investigation conducted by the UN Human Rights Office, concluded that the killing of the journalist Abu Akleh and the injury of her colleague Ali Sammoudi was committed by Israeli Security Forces and not by indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians, as Israeli authorities initially claimed.
According to the investigation, at 06:00 am Abu Akleh and six journalists “arrived at the western entrance of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank to cover an ongoing arrest operation by Israeli Security Forces and the ensuing clashes.”
The journalists, according to the report, took a side street for their approach to stay away from the location of armed Palestinians in the camp and “proceeded slowly in order to make their presence visible to the Israeli forces deployed down the street.”
However, the UN findings suggest that no warnings were issued by Israeli Security Forces and no shooting was taking place at the time and at that location.
At 06:30 am, four of the seven journalists turned into the street leading to the camp and while doing so, “several single, seemingly well-aimed bullets were fired towards them from the direction of the Israeli Security Forces.”
As a result, “one single bullet injured Ali Sammoudi in the shoulder, and another one hit Abu Akleh in the head, killing her immediately.”
The report concluded with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urging Israeli authorities to open a criminal investigation in line with international human rights law regarding “Abu Akleh’s killing and into all other killings and serious injuries by Israeli forces in the West Bank.”