An Al Jazeera journalist was shot and killed by the Israeli army while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin early on Wednesday.
Shireen Abu Akleh, a well-known Palestinian female reporter for Arabic language channel was also a US citizen. Ali Samoudi, another Palestinian journalist, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the back.
In video footage of the incident, Abu Akleh can be seen wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked with the word “PRESS.”
Samoudi, who was working as her producer, told The Associated Press they were among a group of seven reporters who went to cover the 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.
Al Jazeera network announce her death in the middle of their broadcast. The Qatar Based broadcast demanded the international community to “condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for deliberately targeting and killing their reporter.”
“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.