Israeli snipers shot and killed Shireen, a veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist as she arrived early Wednesday to cover an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.
I was horrified to see Wednesday morning, May 11th that veteran Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh – a Palestinian born in Jerusalem and American citizen – was shot dead by Israeli snipers during her mission to observe and report on an Israeli army raid on the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank.
This was the first tweet which caught my attention:
Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Akleh was a brave and kind journalist with an infectious laugh who was devoted to telling stories about ordinary Palestinians.
Shireen Abu Akleh was a household name in the Arab world thanks to her reporting on Palestine [Al Jazeera]
Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday, was a veteran television correspondent who became a household name across the Arab world for her bold coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A native of Jerusalem and a citizen of the United States, Abu Akleh, 51, is survived by her brother, Tony Abu Akleh.Friends and colleagues described Abu Akleh as a brave and kind reporter with an “infectious laugh” who gave voice to the struggles of Palestinians over a career spanning nearly three decades.Friends and colleagues described Abu Akleh as a brave and kind reporter with an “infectious laugh” who gave voice to the struggles of Palestinians over a career spanning nearly three decades.
“Our loss is so huge,” said Nida Ibrahim, an Al Jazeera correspondent and colleague of Abu Akleh’s in the occupied West Bank. “She was kind, dedicated and devoted. She knew the story through and through and she understood the nuances. She brought a wealth of information to her reporting.”
Speaking through tears, Ibrahim described Abu Akleh as a “unique” human being who was “very well known, but modest” and committed to her profession.
At the time of her death, Abu Akleh had been learning Hebrew in order to understand Israeli media narratives better, and had just finished a diploma in digital media, Ibrahim said.
“She’s not only someone who was a veteran, who’s been here covering the story for years, but also someone who was eager to keep learning and keep reporting using new means.”
‘An inspiration for us all’
Born in Jerusalem in 1971, Abu Akleh, who was a Christian, initially studied architecture before switching to journalism at Yarmouk University in Jordan. After graduating, she returned to Palestine and worked for several media outlets, including Voice of Palestine Radio and the Amman Satellite Channel. She joined Al Jazeera Media Network a year after it was launched in 1996, as one of the Qatar-based Arabic-language network’s first field correspondents and gained fame for her coverage of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000.
“I chose journalism to be close to the people,” Abu Akleh said in one video. “It might not be easy to change the reality, but at least I could bring their voice to the world.”
As a television journalist, Abu Akleh covered events big and small, from the Gaza wars of 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2021 to the daring jailbreak of six Palestinians who escaped a maximum-security prison in northern Israel last September. She also covered regional news, including the war in Lebanon in 2006.
“Shireen was a trailblazer, an inspiration for us all,” said Dalia Hatuqa, an Al Jazeera journalist who is a close friend of Abu Akleh, “Her presence became synonymous with Al Jazeera.”
During the height of the second Intifada, Hatuqa recalled Israeli soldiers going around the Palestine city of Ramallah and “mimicking her, shouting from a bullhorn her famous closing lines: Shireen Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera, Ramallah”.
To her friends though, Abu Akleh was far more than the face of Al Jazeera in Palestine.
“She had an infectious laugh. She loved to travel, see the world, shop, party,” Hatuqa said. “She lost her mother and father when she was younger and saw so much cruelty in the world, especially in Palestine, but that never stopped her from appreciating and enjoying life.”
She added, “Her voice was so beautiful, even when she was telling heart-breaking stories.”
‘Heinous crime’
Abu Akleh was on assignment in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, covering Israeli raids on a refugee camp, when she was killed. She was shot in the head while wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked with the word “PRESS”.
In a statement, the Al Jazeera Media Network called Abu Akleh’s killing a “blatant murder” and a “heinous crime”. The network accused Israeli forces of targeting the veteran journalist with live fire and assassinating her in “cold blood”.
The Israeli army denied targeting journalists and has offered a joint investigation into Abu Akleh’s death amid a growing outcry.
Tamer Al-Meshal, who was working with Abu Akleh at the time of her killing, called her a “model” for both Palestinian and Arab journalists.
“Till the very last second, she was professional and persevering in her work,” he said.
“The last message Shireen Abu Akleh sent to Al Jazeera was via email at 6:13am in which she wrote: ‘Occupation forces storm Jenin and besiege a house in the Jabriyat neighbourhood. On the way there, I will bring you news as soon as the picture becomes clear.’ We and the viewers did not know that this news she sent would be the news of her martyrdom.”
Don't listen to anything coming from Western media regarding the murder of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh by the IDF in Jenin. Western media are trying to make the situation seem ambiguous with their typically passive and opaque language. Fellow journalists were close by and they have reported exactly what happened:
The journalists identified themselves. They were wearing appropriate press gear. They were unarmed. There was no exchange of gunfire. Shireen was wearing a helmet and protective vest.
The sniper hit her just below the ear. As Dena Takruri explains, "This was a shot of extreme precision." IDF soldiers continued firing on the journalists, which prevented them from tending to Shireen. Israeli authorities have been harassing Shireen and her family for a long time.
The soldiers knew exactly who they were shooting at. They knew exactly what they were doing.
There's nothing ambiguous about this incredible tragedy. It was cold-blooded murder.
You can also see from this footage that snipers kept firing after Shireen had been shot, causing a delay for people being able to get close to help her.
The following is a report by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now:
Israeli forces have shot and killed Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian American journalist working for Al Jazeera, as she covered an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp early Wednesday morning.
Video released by Al Jazeera shows Abu Akleh was wearing a press uniform when she was shot in the head by what the network says was a single round fired by an Israeli sniper.
"She gave voice to the struggles of Palestinians over a career spanning nearly three decades," says journalist Dalia Hatuqa, remembering her friend and colleague.
"Her killing is not an isolated incident. This has been happening for a long time: Israeli attacks against media workers, especially Palestinians, and the relative impunity under which they operate."
Wednesday morning I also noticed a tweet with video footage allegedly of armed Palestinians shooting as they ran along a street. I thought the video was rather suspect since there wasn’t any context for it. It could have been taken Wednesday morning or three years ago, somewhere, possibly in the West Bank. That tweet by an Israeli has been deleted.
To add heinous insult to Shereen’s targeted murder, Israeli soldiers then had the vile audacity to raid her home where family and friends had gathered to honour and mourn her tragic loss.
There needs to be a truly independent criminal investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's targeted cold-blooded murder so that the perpetrators and conspirators will be charged and a trial with international observers held.
So awful, so cruel. RIP lovely Shireen. :( '''