Following the death of Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh on Wednesday during a clash between IDF troops and terrorists in the West Bank city of Jenin, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett refuted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' attempts to blame Israel "without any concrete evidence."
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The Qatari news channel alleged Abu Akleh and Ali Samoudi, who was wounded, were hit by Israeli fire, but the IDF said that the two were casualties of Palestinian fire. The military said it was investigating the incident.
Abu Akleh, 51, was covering the clash when she reportedly suffered a single shot to the face. Samoudi, who sustained a gunshot wound to the back, was hospitalized in stable condition.
In a statement, the IDF said its troops had shot back after coming under "massive fire" in Jenin, an infamous Islamic Jihad stronghold, and that "there is a possibility, now being looked into, that reporters were hit – possibly by shots fired by Palestinian gunmen."
A second statement posted on Twitter read, "In the last few hours, IDF and Israeli security forces conducted counterterrorism activity to apprehend terror suspects in the Jenin refugee camp. During the activity, dozens of Palestinian gunmen fired at and hurled explosive devices toward the soldiers. The soldiers responded with fire toward the gunmen and hits were identified. The IDF is investigating the event and looking into the possibility that journalists were hit by Palestinian gunmen."
Al-Jazeera blamed Israel for Abu Akleh's death, tweeting, "Our colleague was killed by the Israeli army while covering the attack on the Jenin refugee camp."
The director-general of Al-Jazeera English called the incident "a war crime," adding, "we cannot be silenced."
The Qatar-based network interrupted its broadcast to announce her death. In a statement flashed on its channel, it called on the international community to "condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for deliberately targeting and killing our colleague."
"We pledge to prosecute the perpetrators legally, no matter how hard they try to cover up their crime, and bring them to justice," Al-Jazeera said in a statement.
Giles Trendle, the network's managing director, said, "We are shocked and saddened by the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli occupation forces. We call for a transparent investigation."
Qatar's deputy FM Lolwah Alkhater condemned the incident and called for "an end to state-sponsored Israeli terrorism."
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said it had proposed to the Palestinian Authority a joint pathological investigation into the reporter's death. "Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth," he tweeted.
We have offered the Palestinians a joint pathological investigation into the sad death of journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. Journalists must be protected in conflict zones and we all have a responsibility to get to the truth.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid
(@yairlapid) May 11, 2022
Bennett said the PA had rejected Israel's offer to conduct a joint autopsy.
"There is a considerable chance that armed Palestinians, who fired indiscriminately, were the ones who brought about the journalist's unfortunate death," Bennett said.
"Israel has called on the Palestinians to conduct a joint pathological analysis and investigation, which would be based on all of the existing documentation and findings, in order to get to the truth. So far, the Palestinians have refused this offer," his office said in an official statement.
"IDF forces will continue their counterterrorism operations, in order to end the deadly wave of terror and restore security to the citizens of Israel," it added.
Palestinians in Jenin were even filmed boasting "We hit a soldier; he's lying on the ground". However, no IDF soldier was injured, which increases the possibility that Palestinian terrorists were the ones who shot the journalist. pic.twitter.com/K2ySJGqucH
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 11, 2022
The PA, which administers parts of Judea and Samaria and cooperates with Israel on security matters, condemned what it said was a "shocking crime" committed by Israeli forces.
Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel told Israel Hayom that the "incident is being investigated. I assume the reporter was hit by gunfire from Palestinian gunmen. The attempt to accuse the IDF immediately stems from an anti-Israel viewpoint, not from an actual inquiry."
A spokesman for Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip but is also active in Judea and Samaria, said Abu Akleh, 51, was "assassinated" by Israeli forces while reporting on a raid in Jenin, which has seen intensified army raids in recent weeks as terrorism has surged.
"The assassination of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh is a new crime that is added to a list of crimes perpetrated by the occupation, especially against the Palestinian media," said Hazem Kassem.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav told Army Radio that the troops "laid down precision fire. The Palestinian gunfire was imprecise, incautious, and wild. [The Palestinians] reported that they hit a soldier wearing a flak jacket, but we know that none of our soldiers were wounded and that Abu Akleh apparently wore a flak jacket. I say with caution – apparently, the person with the flak jacket the Palestinians reported killing was the journalist. They are hiding the body because they know that if we examine it, we will learn she was hit by Palestinian fire."
Samoudi, who was working as Abu Akleh's producer, told The Associated Press they were among a group of seven reporters who went to cover the IDF raid early Wednesday. He said they were all wearing protective gear that clearly marked them as reporters, and they passed by Israeli troops so the soldiers would see them and know that they were there.
He said the first shot missed them, then a second struck him, and a third killed Abu Akleh. He said there were no terrorists or other civilians in the area – only the reporters and the IDF.
He said the IDF's suggestion that they were shot by terrorists was a "complete lie."
Kochav said the two journalists were standing alongside armed Palestinians. He said the gunmen were "unprofessional people, terrorists, who were shooting at our troops."
Maj. Avichay Adraee, the IDF Spokesman in charge of the Arabic media department, said on his official Twitter page that "Israel proposed to the Palestinians to launch a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh."
Thus far, the international community has refrained from supporting either side's version of the events.
US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said he "strongly condemns the killing of Shirin Abu Akleh," but didn't blame Israel for her death. Nides also confirmed in a tweet that Abu Akleh was a dual US citizen.
Very sad to learn of the death of American and Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh of @AJArabic @AJEnglish. I encourage a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin.
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) May 11, 2022
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland also refrained from blaming Israel directly, but used pro-Palestinian rhetoric in a tweet, referring to Judea and Samaria as the "occupied West Bank."
(1/2) I strongly condemn the killing of Al-Jazeera's reporter, Shireen Abu Aqla, who was shot with live fire this morning while covering an #Israel|i security forces' operation in #Jenin, in occupied West Bank.
— Tor Wennesland (@TWennesland) May 11, 2022
The European Union's mission in Ramallah, meanwhile, called for a "swift and independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice."
Shocked by the killing of @AlJazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla who was reporting on ISF incursions in Jenin. We express our deepest condolences to her family and call for a swift and independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. pic.twitter.com/gYmfik7Dah
— EU and Palestinians (@EUpalestinians) May 11, 2022
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