Shireen Abu Akleh: Gunfire from Israeli military positions likely killed Palestinian-American journalist, US says

Andrew Feinberg
·1 min read
Yellow tape marks bullet holes on a tree and a portrait and flowers create a makeshift memorial on o May 19, 2022, at the site where Palestinian-American Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in the West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian Authority on Saturday, July 2, 2022, said it has given the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to American forensic experts, taking a step toward resolving a standoff with Israel over the investigation into her death. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
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A US-led investigation found that gunfire from Israeli Defence Forces positions most likely killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the State Department said.

The State Department said on Monday the “extremely detailed forensic analysis” conducted by “independent, third-party examiners, as part of a process overseen by the U.S. Security Coordinator” was unable to form a “clear conclusion” on whether the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was fired from an Israeli weapon because it was “badly damaged”.

The department said the USSC was granted access to both the Israeli and Palestinian Authority investigations into Abu Akleh’s death.

“By summarizing both investigations, the USSC concluded that gunfire from IDF positions was likely responsible for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh,” the department said in a statement “The USSC found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad on May 11, 2022, in Jenin, which followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israel”.