Israeli forces fired the bullet that killed Palestinian journalist Shirin Abu Akleh

The UN Human Rights Office stated this Friday that it was the Israeli forces that fired the shots that ended the life of the Palestinian journalist Shirin Abu Akleh on May 11.

The UN unit reached this conclusion after carrying out independent monitoring of the incident in which the informant’s murder took place.

“All the information we have collected, including official information from the Israeli army and the Palestinian attorney general, is consistent with the conclusion that the shooting that killed Abu Akleh and wounded his colleague Ali Sammoudi came from the Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate shooting by armed Palestiniansas the Israeli authorities initially claimed,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Shamdasani stressed that the Office has not found anything to suggest that there was activity by armed Palestinians in the vicinity of the journalists.

The spokeswoman explained that the personnel in charge of the investigation inspected photographic, video and audio material, visited the scene, consulted expertsreviewed official communications and interviewed witnesses.

The facts

According to the findings of the Human Rights Office, on May 11, 2022, shortly after 6 a.m., seven journalists, including Shireen Abu Akleh, arrived at the western entrance of the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank. to cover an ongoing arrest operation by Israeli security forces and subsequent clashes.

The journalists said that they chose a side street to approach in order to avoid the range of armed Palestinians inside the camp and that proceeded slowly to make their presence visible to the Israeli forces spread out down the street.

No warnings were issued at that location and no shots were being fired at the time.

Half an hour later, when four of the journalists, who They wore helmets and bulletproof vests with the legend “PRESS” they took the street leading to the camp, several “apparently accurate” bullets were fired at them from where the Israeli security forces were.

One bullet hit Ali Sammoudi in the shoulder and another bullet hit Abu Akleh in the head and killed her instantly.

Several more shots were fired as an unarmed man tried to approach the body of Abu Akleh and another uninjured journalist who was taking cover behind a tree. The shots continued while this person took the body of the journalist.

Maisa Abu Ghazaleh

Funeral for journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jerusalem

Israel must open a criminal investigation into this and all killings

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsMichelle Bachelet, once again urged the Israeli authorities to open a criminal investigation into this murder and all other killings and serious injuries committed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and in the context of police operations in Gaza.

“More than six weeks after the murder of Shirin Abu Akleh and the injury of his colleague Ali Sammoudi in Jenin, it is deeply worrying that the Israeli authorities have not carried out a criminal investigation,” stressed Bachelet’s spokeswoman.

Since the beginning of the year, the UN Human Rights Office has verified that Israeli security forces have killed 58 Palestinians in the West Bankincluding thirteen children.

“International human rights law requires a prompt, thorough, transparent, independent and impartial investigation of any use of force that results in death or serious injury. Perpetrators must be held accountable”, insisted Ravina Shamdasani.