WEST BANK (Dispatches) – A Zionist regime army investigation into the killing of the veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh concluded that she was likely to have been ‘unintentionally’ shot by a Zionist trooper but was not deliberately targeted, the military said on Monday.
Abu Akleh was shot dead by Zionist troops on 11 May while covering a Zionist military raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Her colleague Ali al-Samoudi was also shot and injured.
A statement on the investigation published on Monday said “there is a high possibility that M. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF (the Zionist regime’s army) gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen”.
The occupying regime’s military advocate general’s Office said it would not open an investigation into any troops involved in the incident as “there is no suspicion that a criminal offence was committed”.
The army investigation also said it was possible that she was hit by Palestinian gunmen.
In a statement in response to the army’s findings, the Abu Akleh family said: “Today, the Israeli regime and military released a statement that tried to obscure the truth and avoid responsibility for killing Shireen Abu Akleh, our aunt, sister, best friend, journalist, and a Palestinian American.
“We’ve known for over four months now that an Israeli soldier shot and killed Shireen as countless investigations conducted by CNN, the Associated Press, the New York Times, Al Jazeera, Al-Haq, B’tselem, the United Nations, and others have all concluded.
“And yet, as expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen.
“Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone that Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes. However, we remain deeply hurt, frustrated, and disappointed.”
In June, the UN concluded that Zionist troops had fired the fatal bullet that killed Abu Akleh.
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva that the organization found that the shots that killed Abu Akleh came from the Zionist troops.
“It is deeply disturbing that the Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation,” she said.
“We at the UN Human Rights Office have concluded our independent monitoring into the incident.
“All information we have gathered - including official information from the Israeli military and the Palestinian attorney-general - is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli Forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities.”