Al Jazeera :
The United States Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, has called for a “thorough investigation” into the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Shireen was fatally shot by Israeli forces on Wednesday while reporting on Israeli raids in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities and witnesses. Another journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was also wounded by a bullet in the back. He is now in stable condition.
Nides was the first US official to comment on Abu Akleh’s killing, confirming in a tweet that the 51-year-old was a US and Palestinian citizen, and saying he was “sad to learn of her death”.
“I encourage a thorough investigation into the circumstances of her death and the injury of at least one other journalist today in Jenin,” he said.
The statement comes as calls have grown for an independent investigation into the killing, with rights groups accusing Israel of systematically failing to hold its forces accountable for regularly targeting journalists.
Palestinian authorities have rejected an Israeli offer to conduct a joint investigation. Israel’s military has said Shireen was shot during an exchange of gunfire and suggested she may have been killed by Palestinian fighters.
Witnesses have rejected that early narrative, saying there was no crossfire at the time of the shooting and that Abu Akleh and other journalists were in an exposed area wearing clearly marked “PRESS” vests when they were attacked.
