Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau chief: Israeli forces targeted Abu Aqleh by ‘direct shot’
Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Walid al-Omari, the Al Jazeera bureau chief in occupied Jerusalem, said it is clear the bullet that killed Abu Aqleh was shot by an Israeli sniper.
“The eyewitnesses told us the bullet was shot from where the Israeli occupation soldiers were located,” al-Omari said, according to Al Jazeera.
“It is a big shock because the journalists were in an open area that was away from [Israeli] military confrontation with Palestinian resistance,” he noted.
Earlier today, the Israeli forces shot and killed Al Jazeera’s veteran Arabic correspondent Shereen Abu Aqleh while she was covering a military raid in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
According to the Qatar-based news channel and the Palestinian Health Ministry, Abu Aqleh was shot in the head despite wearing a press vest.
https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1524250303482187778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1524250303482187778%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fqudsnen.co%2Fal-jazeera-reporter-shot-killed-by-israeli-forces-in-west-bank-city-of-jenin%2F
https://twitter.com/SamarDJarrah/status/1524248206204448769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1524248206204448769%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fqudsnen.co%2Fal-jazeera-reporter-shot-killed-by-israeli-forces-in-west-bank-city-of-jenin%2F
She was rushed to Ibn Sina hospital in critical condition and was announced dead soon afterwards.
Another journalist identified as Ali Asmoadi who works for the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper was also shot in the back by Israeli live bullet during the same raid and he is in a stable condition.
Asmoadi and other journalists at the scene said there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot, directly disputing an Israeli statement referencing the possibility that it was Palestinian fire.
“We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” said al-Samoudi.
“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.”
Shatha Hanaysha, a local journalist who was standing next to Abu Aqleh when she was shot, also told Al Jazeera that there had been no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli forces. She said the group of journalists had been directly targeted.
“We were four journalists, we were all wearing vests, all wearing helmets,” Hanaysha said. “The [Israeli] occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed. I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots being fired. The army was adamant on shooting to kill.”
Abu Aqleh, who was a dual Palestinian-American national, was one of Al Jazeera’s first field correspondents, joining the network in 1997.
French lawmakers have dismissed a petition signed by more than 700,000 people opposing a bill to expand antisemitism laws, clearing the way for a heated parliamentary debate as critics warn of threats to free speech and democratic accountability.
The US Senate has narrowly rejected a bid to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to launch further strikes on Iran, even as tensions escalate in the region and Israel pushes for a tougher US stance. The 52–47 vote exposed deep divisions in Washington over war powers, presidential authority, and the risk of a wider Middle East conflict.
Far-right Polish MP, Konrad Berkowicz, fires back at Israel’s embassy, condemning its actions and declaring, “I consider you Nazis,” after facing antisemitism accusations over a parliament protest.