ISRAELI forces have attacked mourners attending the funeral of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, footage has shown.
The funeral of the Al Jazeera correspondent who was shot dead by Israeli forces this week was held in East Jerusalem today.
Footage of the event published by the Middle Eastern news outlet shows Israeli forces battering into the crowd around the veteran journalist’s casket, which was being carried to a Catholic church in Jerusalem’s Old City for the ceremony.
This is the moment Israeli forces started attacking pic.twitter.com/ICnINbsQHI https://t.co/jWSeebKG8m
— لينة (@LinahAlsaafin) May 13, 2022
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the murder of Abu Akleh (below) and said they would report the matter to the International Criminal Court, which is already investigating possible Israeli war crimes.
Thousands attended the funeral procession of Abu Akleh, who was a household name in Palestine for her tenacious coverage of the region for 25 years.
Israel has called for a joint investigation into the death of the 51-year-old journalist and deny she was killed by their military.
The Palestinian Authority has refused to co-operate with Israel.
The Israeli military said on Friday its initial probe showed that a heavy firefight was underway around 200 meters from where Ms Abu Akleh was hit, but that it was unable to determine whether she was shot by Israeli forces or Palestinian militants.
It said Palestinian gunmen were firing recklessly and repeatedly at an Israeli military vehicle near to where Abu Akleh was shot.
It said Israeli forces returned fire, and that without doing ballistic analysis it cannot determine who was responsible.
“The conclusion of the interim investigation is that it is not possible to determine the source of the fire that hit and killed the reporter,” the military said.
Both sides are likely to cast doubt on any conclusions reached by the other, and there did not appear to be any possibility of a third party carrying out an independent probe.
Within hours of her death, the Palestinian Authority and the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network accused Israel of deliberately killing Abu Akleh, who was an American citizen.
Rights groups say Israel rarely follows through on investigations into the killing of Palestinians by its security forces and hands down lenient punishments on the rare occasions when it does.
Abu Akleh joined Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language service in 1997 and rose to prominence covering the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising against Israeli rule, in the early 2000s.
The veteran reporter was a widely respected member of the local press corps.
She was shot in the head early on Wednesday while covering an Israeli arrest raid in the West Bank town of Jenin.
Palestinians from in and around Jenin have carried out a series of deadly attacks inside Israel in recent weeks, and Israel has launched near daily arrest raids in the area, often igniting gun battles with militants.
Israeli troops pushed into Jenin again early on Friday.
An Associated Press photographer reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions and said Israeli troops had surrounded a home.
The Palestinian health ministry said 11 Palestinians were hospitalised after being wounded in the fighting, including one who was shot in the stomach.
The Israeli military said Palestinians opened fire when its forces went in to arrest suspected militants.
Reporters who were with Abu Akleh when she was killed, including one who was shot and hurt, said there were no clashes or militants in the immediate area.
All of them were wearing protective equipment that clearly identified them as reporters.
Israeli officials initially suggested Abu Akleh may have been struck by Palestinian gunfire but later backtracked and now say they have not yet reached any firm conclusions.
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem — including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims — in the 1967 war.
The Palestinians want both territories as part of their future state.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally and views the entire city as its capital.
Police went to Abu Akleh’s family home in Jerusalem on the day she was killed and have shown up at other mourning events in the city to remove Palestinian flags.
