Shireen Abu Akleh[a] (Arabic: شيرين أبو عاقلة, romanized: Šīrīn Abū ʿĀqila; April 3, 1971 – May 11, 2022) was a prominent Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for 25 years for Al Jazeera, before she was killed by Israeli forces while wearing a blue press vest and covering a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

[15] The hospital itself was also stormed by Israeli police officers, who assaulted patients and threw stun grenades, wounding and causing burns to medical staff in the building.

[16] The facility issued a statement from the Christian Churches of the Holy Land, stating that the Israel Police's actions constituted "invasion and disproportionate use of force" and a violation of the "right of freedom of religion" for the Palestinians.

[29][31] She lived and worked in East Jerusalem, reporting on major events related to Palestine including the Second Intifada,[32] and additionally covering Israeli politics.

[48] Thousands of people had gathered in Ramallah in honor of Abu Akleh, where her body was transported to the network's offices for colleagues, friends, and family to "bid her the final farewell".

[16] Israeli police burst through the gates and attacked mourners with batons and stun grenades, some repeatedly hitting and kicking pallbearers that were backed against a wall resulting in her coffin nearly falling to the ground.

[17][55] The Israeli police said they acted on the grounds of the crowd "disrupting public order", saying that "300 rioters" had tried to take over the casket, but this allegation was challenged by Abu Akleh's brother.

"[56] A video released by East Jerusalem's Christian leaders during a May 16 press conference shows that violence by Israeli police had begun even before the procession commenced.

[15] The coffin was later loaded on to a hearse and transported to the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin for the funeral, and from there carried on foot to a Greek Orthodox cemetery on Mount Zion where she was buried next to her parents.

[57][53][58][59] The European Union released a statement saying it was "appalled by the violence in the St Joseph hospital compound and the level of unnecessary force exercised by Israeli police throughout the funeral procession.

[83] The director of RSF, Christophe Deloire, described her killing as a violation of the Geneva Conventions and United Nations Security Council resolution 2222 on the protection of journalists.

"[84] Deputy foreign minister Lolwah Al-Khater tweeted "state sponsored Israeli terrorism must stop" and "unconditional support to Israel must end.

[97] On September 6, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said "We will continue to press Israel directly and closely at the senior-most levels to review its policies and practices on this to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again in the future.

"[98] However, on September 7, Israel's Alternate Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, said that the rules of engagement "will be determined by IDF commanders, independent of any pressure – internal or external".

[112] An interim IDF probe narrowed down the circumstances of her death to two scenarios: either a case of indiscriminate Palestinian gunfire and one of possibly errant Israeli sniper fire.

[10] Multiple eyewitnesses, including two journalists standing next to Abu Akleh, reported that the area had been relatively quiet immediately prior to her death and no Palestinians, civilian or otherwise, were present, disputing Israeli statements of her having died in a crossfire.

[116] Israeli human rights group B'tselem also conducted an investigation, having "played a key role in the military's backtracking from its initial claims that Palestinian gunmen appeared to be responsible" for the death.

"[118][119][120] The Associated Press has also carried out a reconstruction of events saying it "lends support to assertions from both Palestinian authorities and Abu Akleh's colleagues that the bullet that cut her down came from an Israeli gun", and that "any conclusive answer is likely to prove elusive because of the severe distrust between the two sides, each of which is in sole possession of potentially crucial evidence.

"[121] A CNN investigation, which reviewed 11 videos and interviewed eyewitnesses and a firearms expert, said the new evidence suggests "that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces".

[122] On May 26, the Jerusalem Post reported that Palestine had completed its investigation, forwarded the findings to the US administration, concluding that the IDF "directly and deliberately" targeted Abu Akleh.

A bipartisan group of United States Congress members urged the Biden administration to press the Palestinian Authority to release the bullet for tests.

[124] The Palestinian attorney-general Akram Al-Khatib said on July 2 that the bullet has been handed over to a recently arrived "specialized US team of experts" for technical examination.

[139] The US State Department subsequently announced on July 4 that tests by independent ballistics experts under U.S. oversight were not conclusive about the gun it was fired from but that US officials have concluded that gunfire from Israeli positions most likely killed Akleh and that there was "no reason to believe" her shooting was intentional.

[146] On June 20, the New York Times published what it described as a "month long investigation" concluding that "the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh was fired from the approximate location of the Israeli military convoy, most likely by a soldier from an elite unit."

"[151] Democratic senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen also dismissed the Israeli report, saying its findings were inconsistent with the evidence and repeating his call for an independent US investigation into Abu Aqleh's killing.

[152] The Foreign Press Association, representing international media covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, said the IDF conclusions "raise major questions about the military's actions that day and serious doubts about its stated commitment to protecting journalists in the future," while the committee to Protect Journalists, which advocates for press freedom worldwide, said the report "does not provide the answers — by any measure of transparency or accountability — that her family and colleagues deserve.

"[154] On September 20, a joint investigation released by Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture, an international research group, concluded that Abu Akleh and her colleagues were subject of "Israel's deliberate targeting".

"[161][162] On May 23, 2022, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki announced that Abu Akleh's case, along evidence of other Israeli violations, had been submitted to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

[165] On September 20, 2022, the same day as the conclusion of the joint investigation by Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture, lawyers and advocacy groups referred the shooting to the International Criminal Court on behalf of her family.

"[172] Earlier in the week, a memorial concert was held in Ramallah, attended by hundreds of people, to celebrate Abu Akleh's trailblazing life and career in the media and her legacy.