Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
| Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |
Pin A: Location where Abu Akleh was standing before being shot Pin B: Location where the gunfire came from, based on an incident report by the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem | |
| Location | Jenin refugee camp |
| Coordinates | 32°27′50″N 35°17′3″E / 32.46389°N 35.28417°E |
| Date | 11 May 2022 c. 7:08 a.m. (EEST) |
| Weapon | Caliber 5.56 mm, M4 (e.g., M4 carbine) |
| Deaths | 1 (Shireen Abu Akleh) |
| Injured | 1 (Ali al-Samoudi) |
| Perpetrator | Israel Defense Forces |
| Participant | Alon Scagio |
| Motive | Unknown |
On 11 May 2022, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering a raid by the Israel Defense Forces at the Jenin refugee camp. Witnesses, along with the Qatari media network Al Jazeera, for which Abu Akleh had worked for 25 years, reported that an Israeli soldier shot her in the head. After the shooting, she was taken to the local Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced her dead.
Her killing sparked outrage among Palestinians and garnered international attention. Abu Akleh's status as an American citizen prompted the United States to become involved in the investigation. Initially, Israel claimed that she had been killed by "indiscriminate" gunfire from Palestinian militants engaged in combat with Israeli troops. However, they later stated that there was a "high possibility" that Israeli gunfire had "accidentally" hit Abu Akleh while she was at the camp. At the time of her death, she was wearing a blue vest with "PRESS" written in blue letters, which is standard for civilian journalists reporting in combat zones.