Al Jazeera Journalist Is Killed Throughout Clashes in West Financial institution

JERUSALEM — A journalist for Al Jazeera was fatally shot by Israeli forces within the West Financial institution metropolis of Jenin early Wednesday throughout clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinians, the Palestinian well being ministry mentioned.

The circumstances surrounding the capturing of the journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, weren’t instantly clear. Al Jazeera, citing the well being ministry, mentioned the bullet had hit her within the head.

The Israeli army mentioned on Twitter that it was investigating the likelihood that journalists had been injured “probably by Palestinian armed gunfire.”

Ms. Abu Akleh, 51, a veteran journalist, was sporting a protecting vest that recognized her as a member of the information media, Al Jazeera reported.

One other journalist, Ali al-Samodi, who was additionally sporting a protecting vest, was injured by a bullet within the again, in response to the official Palestinian information company, which cited the well being ministry. His situation was not instantly clear. He works for the Jerusalem-based Quds newspaper, in response to Al Jazeera.

Within the wake of a collection of assaults by Palestinians in Israel, the Israeli army has been finishing up common army raids into the Palestinian metropolis of Jenin within the occupied West Financial institution since early April.

The Israeli army mentioned on Twitter that its forces had been in Jenin to arrest suspects and got here below hearth first.

The Palestinian Overseas Ministry condemned what it referred to as the “assassination” of Ms. Abu Akleh and mentioned she had been a sufferer of the silence of the worldwide neighborhood.

Final month, worldwide and Palestinian journalist teams filed a proper criticism with the Worldwide Felony Courtroom accusing Israel of warfare crimes in opposition to journalists and of systematically concentrating on journalists working within the occupied West Financial institution and Gaza, in addition to of failing to correctly examine killings of stories media staff.

Ms. Abu Akleh “joins different journalists that Israel killed as they labored on revealing the crimes of the Israeli occupation,” the Palestinian data ministry mentioned in an announcement.

The ministry vowed to “intensify efforts to realize justice for our journalists and guarantee accountability for the Israeli occupation for its crimes in opposition to journalists and additional guarantee ending Israeli impunity.”

Israel’s Overseas Ministry mentioned in an announcement that it had supplied to conduct a joint investigation with the Palestinians into the “unhappy loss of life” of Ms. Abu Akleh: “Journalists should be protected in battle zones, and all of us have a duty to get to the reality.”

Hiba Yazbek contributed reporting from Nazareth.