PA hands over bullet that killed Al-Jazeera journalist for US inspection
The Palestinian Authority (PA) handed over on Saturday to US officials the bullet from which Al- Jazeera journalist Shirin Abu Akleh was killed ahead of a ballistic inspection that may determine who killed her.
People In Gaza Blame Israel for the death of journalist Sheerin Abu Akla, Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS on 12 May 2022
Abu Akleh was killed during an encounter between IDF forces and terrorists in the Jenin Refugee Camp on May 11 as the IDF was operating to arrest terror suspects. The IDF has launched an investigation into the incident.
PA Attorney-General Akram Al-Khatib told the PA’s official WAFA news agency on Saturday that the bullet will not be handed over to “the Israeli occupation authorities,” and that the “competent authorities” in the PA have agreed to allow a specialized US team of experts to conduct a technical examination of the bullet, and that the bullet has been handed over to the team who recently arrived for this purpose.
The PA claims that Abu Akleh was killed by an armour-piercing projectile “fired directly at her head by an Israeli sniper” while “she was trying to escape, although she was wearing a helmet and a vest that was clearly marked with the word PRESS.”
Israel has repeatedly called on the PA to deliver the bullet that hit Abu Akleh to its examination and has called for a joint investigation of the incident.
“That is what must be done in order to uncover the truth,” it said.
The IDF has stated several times that it has been investigating the circumstances of the reporter’s death. It stressed that its investigation shows that the journalist was in no way shot intentionally, and it is not possible to determine whether she was killed by Palestinian terrorists who fired uncontrollably at her surroundings or by an IDF soldier by accident.
“The IDF regrets harming the uninvolved even during an exchange of fire or a battlefield and takes great care to ensure freedom of movement and the press,” it underscored.
A government official recently said that Israel has called for a joint pathological investigation, “but the Palestinians are refusing, perhaps in order to hide the truth.”
IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav told IDF Radio on Sunday that “Israelis will check the bullet that killed Sheerin Abu-Akla with an American presence. If we killed her, we will take responsibility and regret it. “
