What do we know about the circumstances of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, journalist of Al-Jezira, in the West Bank? – Liberation

Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh of the Arab channel Al-Jezira was killed on Wednesday morning while covering Israeli army operations in the Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian armed factions, in the north of the occupied West Bank. Several witnesses speak of an Israeli shot, which Tsahal refutes. CheckNews gathered and analyzed a dozen videos, then located on a map, in order to better understand the context of his death.

Filmed by journalists or witnesses, various images first show the inert body of Shireen Abu Akleh, face down. These videos have been geotagged north of the refugee camp, located west of Jenin (point number 1 on the map). CheckNews was able to confirm this location from other street images.

A few seconds before his body appears in the image, we hear seven detonations, which seem to correspond to shots coming from upstream of this street, therefore from the south. Another journalist is sheltered nearby, behind a tree. When a man tries for the first time to drag the body of Shireen Abu Akleh, a new detonation rings out.

The images show that the journalist, equipped with a helmet and a ballistic vest stamped press, is injured in the head.

Other amateur videos, collected and geolocated by CheckNews, shed light on the circumstances in which the Palestinian journalist was killed. One of these sequences, broadcast on the TikTok social network around the same time as the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, shows Israeli soldiers present at the top of this same street (point 2 on the map), the one from which probably came the shots that killed the journalist. Nevertheless, these images, where you can hear detonations, do not confirm that it was these soldiers who shot Shireen Abu Akleh.

Multiple detonations

Indeed, higher up in the neighborhood, Israeli soldiers exchange fire with armed men, visibly members of the Palestinian resistance (points 3 and 5 on the map). On a video broadcast by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we see a group of Palestinians, including armed fighters, one of whom is shooting in an alley of the Jenin camp (point 3 on the map, the arrow corresponding to the direction of the shots). We mainly hear the man behind the camera yelling at the people around him to be careful. In the final seconds of the video (the full version of which is 26 seconds long), a voice exclaims: “There is one who is affected!” But without specifying whether she is speaking then about an Israeli soldier, or a Palestinian. This contradicts certain translations according to which the Palestinians were pleased to have « hit a soldier ».

In a press release made public at 5 p.m. (French time), the Israeli army released a video of the same operation, but on the Israeli side. We see soldiers there, in the housing estate where the scene of the Palestinian opening fire was filmed, but two streets below (point 5 on the map). Multiple explosions echo throughout the video, but the sequence is interrupted when the soldiers join their vehicles, at the top of the street where Shireen Abu Akleh was killed (point 2 on the map).

It should be noted, finally, that a group of Palestinians, some of whom were armed, was also moving in the area (point 4 on the map), as shown by various images and videos broadcast on TikTok as well as on a local Telegram channel.

On the side of the Israeli army, it is explained that soldiers intervened in the Jenin camp, in order to « to apprehend persons suspected of terrorism ». “Dozens of Palestinian gunmen opened fire and threw explosive objects at Israeli forces, threatening their lives. The soldiers responded. People have been affected”says the IDF.

Later in the morning, the Israeli authorities clarified their version, suggesting that the journalist could have been the victim of Palestinian fire. « It seems likely that armed Palestinians, who opened fire indiscriminately at the time, were responsible for the journalist’s unfortunate death », Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. And to propose « a joint investigation » with the Palestinians.

To defend the thesis of a Palestinian responsibility in the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, the head of the Israeli executive relies on the video quoted above, where we see a Palestinian shooting in an alley (point 3 on the map). “Palestinians from Jenin were even filmed boasting: “We hit a soldier, he is lying on the ground”. However, no IDF soldiers were injured, raising the possibility that Palestinian terrorists were the ones who shot the journalist. »writes Naftali Bennett.

“We cannot determine by which shot she was injured”

In the afternoon, the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, which defends human rights in the occupied territories, posted another video demonstrating, according to her, that « Palestinian fire relayed by the Israeli army cannot be the one that killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh ». The sequence was shot by a researcher from B’Tselem, who details the layout of the scene, walking between the location of the Palestinian militants visible in the video and the top of the street where the journalist was killed (point 2 on the menu). These images highlight the significant distance that separates the two places – around 300 meters – and the presence between them of multiple walls and buildings.

Qualifying the initial position of the Israeli armed forces, their leader, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, finally said in a new statement: « At this stage, we cannot determine which shot she was injured in and we regret her death. » The army further indicates that the operation carried out last night in the Jenin camp led to the arrest of « eight suspects » and confiscation of « submachine guns ».

On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas judged Israeli power « fully responsible » of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. As for the television channel which employed him, Al-Jezira, it directly accused, in a press release, the Israeli forces of having killed « in cold blood » his journalist. « Al-Jezira condemns this heinous crime, which aims to prevent the media from doing their job », writes the chain, based in Qatar. It calls on the international community to “hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for intentionally targeting and killing Shireen”.

Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi, presented as Shireen Abu Akleh’s producer, was also shot. Hospitalized in stable condition for a bullet received in the back, he gave the media present on the spot his version of the facts. He and Shireen were, he said, part of a group of reporters who left early Wednesday to cover the Israeli operation. A first shot missed them, then a second hit him, and a third killed his colleague, he says. Adding that in this area were only the Israeli forces and the group of journalists.

Two other Palestinian journalists also testified: one present at the time of the fatal shooting at Shireen Abu Akleh but shelter behind a wall, the other being Shatha Hanaysha, the woman seen hiding behind a tree, right next to Shireen’s body, in footage shot immediately after her death. Both corroborate Ali al-Samoudi’s version. And believe that the Israeli army deliberately fired in their direction, when they were clearly identified as journalists (thanks to their bulletproof vests and helmets stamped « press »), and had announced their presence to the soldiers.

Note, finally, that in this video broadcast on the social network TikTok, we can see the presence of Israeli soldiers near the place of death, but not at the same time a priori.

During the day, condemnations multiplied within the international community, from the United States to the European Union, via Unesco. These various States and institutions calling for an investigation « transparent » and « independent » determining the circumstances of his death.