Islam Times - Al Jazeera Journalist Fatally Shot in West Bank

Islam Times - Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot while on assignment in the West Bank Wednesday, the network said.

Israeli forces have shot dead Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

She was hit by a live bullet on Wednesday while covering Israeli raids in the city of Jenin and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, according to the ministry and Al Jazeera journalists.

She was declared dead at the hospital, the ministry said.

The circumstances of her death were not clear, but videos of the incident show that Abu Akleh was shot in the head, said Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim.

“What we know for now is that the Palestinian health ministry has announced her death. Shireen Abu Akleh was covering the events unfolding in Jenin, specifically an Israeli raid on the city, which is north of the occupied West Bank, when she was hit by a bullet to the head,” Ibrahim said, speaking from the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

“As you can imagine, this is a shock to the journalists who have been working with her.”

Speaking through tears, Ibrahim said Abu Akleh was a “very well respected journalist” who has been working with Al Jazeera since the beginning of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000.

Abu Akleh was wearing a press vest when she was killed.

Another Palestinian journalist was also shot by a live bullet in the back, the health ministry said. Ali Samoudi, who works for the Jerusalem-based Quds newspaper was reported in 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 claimed 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”.

Many in Palestine and abroad took to social media to express their shock and grief.

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.