“High possibility” Israeli soldier killed reporter

An Israeli army official told reporters Monday that a soldier opened fire after mistaking a veteran Al Jazeera reporter for a militant on May 11. The U.S. State Department had concluded in July that Israeli forces unintentionally killed Shireen Abu Akleh. Critics say that an amateur video taken nearby contradicts Israeli claims that there were Palestinian gunmen in the area at the time of the shooting. At a press briefing, the army official said the militants were “maybe not 1 meter beside her, but they were in that area.” He also said no one would be punished.

Who was Abu Akleh? The 51-year-old Palestinian journalist had covered the West Bank for over two decades. She was reporting on an Israeli military raid and was wearing a helmet, bulletproof vest, and a press badge when she was shot. Abu Akleh had achieved widespread recognition in the Arab world.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report from the WORLD archives about Israel and Hamas trading blows in 2021.