AL JAZEERA REPORTER SHOT DEAD BY ISRAELI TROOPS
JENIN, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES—Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot dead by Israeli troops Wednesday as she covered a raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the network said.
Al Jazeera said Abu Aqleh, 51, a prominent figure in the channel’s Arabic news service was shot “deliberately” and “in cold blood,” by Israeli troops.
The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted an operation early Wednesday in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups in the northern West Bank.
It firmly denied, however, that it had deliberately targeted journalists.
“The (army) of course does not aim at journalists,” a military official told AFP.
“There is an ongoing inquiry into this event. We offered and want to conduct a joint investigation with the Palestinians.”
The army said there was an exchange of fire between suspects and security forces and that it was “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”
An AFP photographer at the scene said Abu Aqleh was wearing a press flak jacket when she was shot.
Al Jazeera called on the international community to hold Israeli forces accountable for their “intentional targeting and killing” of Abu Aqleh.
“In a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms, the Israeli occupation forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Palestine,” it said.
A total of 30 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have died during the same period, according to an AFP tally, among them perpetrators of attacks and those killed by Israeli security forces in West Bank operations.