Israeli forces have reportedly shot dead Al Jazeera’s journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank.
According to Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh was hit by a live bullet Wednesday morning while covering Israeli raids in the city of Jenin and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
She was said to be wearing a press vest when she was hit
Palestinian health ministry said she was declared dead at the hospital.
The circumstances of her death were not clear, but videos of the incident show that Abu Akleh was shot in the head as reported by Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim.
Palestinian Health Ministry while announcing her death informed that Shireen Abu Akleh, was covering the events unfolding in Jenin, specifically an Israeli raid the City, when the incident occurred.
Speaking through tears, her colleague,Ibrahim said Abu Akleh was a very well respected journalist.
Abu Akleh was one of Al Jazeera’s first field correspondents, joining the network in 1997.
Meanwhile another Al Jazeera journalist, Ali Samoudi, was also shot by a live bullet in the back, the health ministry has said.
Samoudi is reported to be in a stable condition.
Al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Ramallah, Walid al-Omary, said that there had been no shooting carried out by Palestinian gunmen, disputing an Israeli statement that referenced the possibility.
The Israeli military said that it had come under attack with heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin, and that they fired back. It added that it was “investigating the event”.
Fatah, the party of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned Abu Akleh’s killing.
(The Israeli foreign minister,Yair Lapid, said Tel Aviv was offering a “joint pathological investigation” into Abu Akleh’s “sad death”. He added that “journalists must be protected in conflict zones”.
Al Jazeera’s offices in the Gaza Strip, which also housed the Associated Press, were bombed by Israeli forces during an offensive a year ago, and Palestinian and international journalists say they have been regularly targeted by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Many in Palestine and overseas have taken to social media to express their shock and grief over the unfortunate incident.