Israeli forces 'deliberately' killed AJ journalist Abu Akleh, probe finds

A joint investigation conducted by a London-based multidisciplinary research group and a Palestinian rights group has concluded that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was "deliberately" killed by Israeli forces.  

Forensic Architecture and Palestinian Al-Haq rights group said the findings of their joint investigation were submitted on Tuesday (20 September) to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Abu Akleh's family, demanding justice for her killing.

The complaint is supported by the Palestinian Press Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), reports Al Jazeera.  

Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist for 25 years and known as the "voice of Palestine", was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces on 11 May while covering an army raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Shireen Abu Akleh was wearing a bulletproof vest marked "Press" and a helmet when she was shot in the head in the Jenin refugee camp. Her killing caused global outrage and calls for an independent investigation.

The probe examined the Israeli sniper's precise angle of fire and concluded that the sniper was able to clearly tell that there were journalists in the area. It also ruled out the possibility of confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Jenin at the time of the attack.

According to the investigation, for which Al Jazeera provided material, the Israeli sniper shot for two minutes and deliberately targeted those who tried to rescue Abu Akleh.

The sniper shot three times, releasing six bullets the first time, then after eight seconds, seven more. One of these bullets was the one that killed Abu Akleh, hitting her just under her helmet.

Two minutes later, the sniper shot three more bullets, to stop efforts to rescue her.

Her brother Anton said the family would do whatever it takes to ensure accountability for her killing.

"Like we said before, and as other reports said previously, there were more than 16 shots fired towards Shireen and the media and her colleagues who were standing in that ally," he told Al Jazeera. "They even targeted the person who was trying to pull her into safety after she was shot down."

Earlier, Israel said that there was a "high possibility" that its forces had killed Abu Akleh, but pushed back against suggestions of prosecuting the soldier who shot Abu Akleh.

The Israeli army conceded on Monday (6 September) for the first time that one of its soldiers had likely shot Abu Akleh, after having mistaken her for a fighter. It had initially blamed Palestinian gunmen for her killing.

The acknowledgement came after months in which the army had insisted it was impossible to determine the source of the deadly shot that killed the celebrated journalist.

Israel's military advocate said that the circumstances of the incident "do not raise the suspicion of a crime having been committed which would justify the opening of a criminal investigation".

A United Nations investigation concluded in June that there was "no evidence of activity by armed Palestinians close by" when Abu Akleh was shot.