U.S.: Israeli military gunfire likely killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
After examining the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, U.S. officials have concluded that gunfire from Israeli military positions "was likely responsible" for her death, the State Department said Monday.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said "independent, third-party examiners" conducted an "extremely detailed forensic analysis" and "ballistic experts determined the bullet was badly damaged, which prevented a clear conclusion" as to who fired the shot. It was concluded that Israeli gunfire was likely responsible for Abu Akleh's death after looking at both the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian Authority investigations, Price said, adding there was "no reason to believe that this was intentional, but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad."
A prominent Palestinian-American correspondent with Al Jazeera, Abu Akleh was killed May 11 while covering an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Her crew and Palestinian witnesses said she was killed by Israeli troops, and there were no militants in the immediate area when she was shot, The Associated Press reports. Israel denied that Abu Akleh was targeted by Israeli troops, saying that she might have been hit by accident during a gunfire exchange with a Palestinian militant.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Is Donald Trump behind potential Gaza ceasefire and will it work?
Today's Big Question Israel and Hamas are 'on the brink' of a peace deal and a hostage exchange, for which the incoming president may take credit
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mossad's history with explosive technology
The Explainer Infamous Israeli spy agency has not claimed responsibility for Hezbollah's exploding pagers but has 'decades-long' list of remote assassinations
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas and Hezbollah strikes: what does it mean for Israel?
Today's Big Question Iran vows revenge for death of Hamas political leader in Tehran, hours after Israeli strike kills top Hezbollah member in Beirut
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel says Gaza split in two in 'significant stage' of war against Hamas
Speed Read Troops expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours as US secretary of state continues 'diplomatic shuttle'
By The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published