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Israel insists joint probe needed into journalist's death as PA resists

Preliminary findings from the IDF indicate that no gunfire was directed at Shireen Abu Akleh, but Israel is finding a cold reception for its investigation.

ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians attend a state funeral for veteran Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on May 12, 2022. — ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images

The tragic May 11 shooting death of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh while IDF were operating in Jenin could have troubling consequences for Israel’s international image. Israeli security experts are also concerned that the killing of the reporter, who was a household name in the Arab world, could prompt additional terror attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Israel.

An initial Israeli military inquiry into the incident reads that soldiers from the elite Duvdevan commando unit entered the Palestinian refugee camp in the town of Jenin to detain a suspected Hamas terrorist. According to the IDF, they came under heavy fire by armed militants and fired back. Abu Akleh, who was wearing a helmet and vest clearly marked with PRESS, was shot and killed.

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