Israeli police beat mourners accompanying the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to her funeral, in East Jerusalem. Police prohibited people from carrying the coffin on foot through the city, which is customary for notable deaths, as mourners chanted “We sacrifice our soul and blood for you, Shireen”.
Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran reporter of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, was shot two days earlier while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin, West Bank. She was wearing a helmet and a blue vest labeled “PRESS” at the time. Another journalist at the scene, Al Jazeera producer Ali al-Samoudi, was wounded by a bullet in the back. He said that no Palestinian fighters were present when they were shot, and that journalists were not warned or asked to leave. International media and organizations such as Bellingcat, Forensic Architecture, and The Washington Post investigated and corroborated the claims.
A Palestinian investigation concluded Abu Akleh had been intentionally targeted. After initially rejecting these allegations, the Israeli military has since admitted there was a “high possibility” Abu Akleh was shot by an Israeli soldier, but denies deliberate targeting. Both the US Department of Justice and the International Criminal Court have launched investigations into the shooting.
Reporters Sans Frontières says that 55 journalists and four media workers were killed worldwide in 2022 for reasons linked to their activities.
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