Thousands of people attended the funeral of journalist Sirin Abu Akleh, who was killed in the fire opened by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Israeli security forces attacked the coffin bearers and funeral attendees with batons.
Al Jazeera reporter of Palestinian origin, Akleh, a US citizen, was killed while on duty in the West Bank city of Jenin. Akleh, who was assigned to monitor the military activity in the region, was wearing a press vest when he was shot.
Israeli security forces intervened with batons to the group carrying Akleh’s body from the hospital in the old Jerusalem and carrying the coffin on their shoulders. The Israeli police, who sprayed pepper gas on the crowd gathered in front of the hospital with Palestinian flags, later gave permission to Akleh’s family to transport the body to a Catholic Church in the Old City.
The Israeli police went to the houses of the journalist’s family and other relatives in Jerusalem on the day of Akleh’s murder and lowered the Palestinian flags in the surrounding area.
Israeli authorities requested a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority into the journalist’s death. However, the Palestinian authorities, rejecting the request, announced that they would conduct an investigation and forward the results to the International Criminal Court. The International Criminal Court continues the investigation, which was initiated earlier, regarding the allegations that Israel committed war crimes.
Eyewitnesses, as well as Al Jazeera and Palestinian officials, claim that 51-year-old journalist Akleh was killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli army, on the other hand, argued that according to preliminary investigations, there was a clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian militias 200 meters from where Akleh was located, and therefore it was unclear from which side the bullet that killed the journalist came.
In a statement made by the Israeli army today, it was stated that at the time of Akleh’s death, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the Israeli military vehicle and the journalist’s position in an area close to the spot where the incident took place, and Israeli soldiers responded.
“According to the results of the investigation so far, it is not possible to identify the source of the bullet that hit the journalist and killed him,” the statement said.
Other journalists who witnessed the incident, including journalist Ali Es Sumudi, who was on duty with Akleh at the time of the incident and who was injured in the back, say that there was no conflict in Jenin, where Akleh was broadcasting on Wednesday.
While the parties blame each other, an independent investigation has not yet been launched regarding the incident. Rights activists state that Israeli authorities rarely follow up on investigations into the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Akleh, who joined the Arabic broadcast team of Al Jazeera in 1997, has been closely following the events between Israel and the Palestinians in the region for a long time.
Akleh was shot in the head while he was broadcasting in Jenin about the recent raids and detention operations carried out by Israel in the West Bank.
Tensions have been escalating recently between Israel, which captured the West Bank and Jerusalem in 1967, and the Palestinians, who are fighting for these areas to belong to the future Palestinian state.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Israeli soldiers re-entered Jenin on the day of Akleh’s funeral and continued their raids. It is stated that violent armed clashes and explosions are heard from the region today.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health also announced that 13 Palestinians were injured and hospitalized in the recent clashes in the region. In the statement made on the Twitter account of the Israeli army, it was stated that the Palestinians opened fire on the Israeli forces on duty to detain the suspects.