Israel apologizes for accidental killing of Al Jazeera journalist

IDF spokesperson offers apology during CNN interview after investigations suggest Shireen Abu Akleh was likely accidentally killed by Israeli fire during gun battle with terrorists.

By World Israel News Staff

The IDF issued an apology Thursday for the accidental killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, an Arab-American citizen, who was killed while covering clashes in Jenin on May 11, 2022. The apology was conveyed by IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari during an interview with CNN‘s Eleni Giokos.

“I think it’s an opportunity for me to say here that we are very sorry of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh,” Hagari said.

“She was a journalist, a very established journalist. In Israel we value our democracy and in a democracy we see high value in journalism and in a free press. We want journalists to feel safe in Israel, especially in war time, even if they criticize us.”

In September, the IDF released a report regarding Abu Akleh’s death.

The report concluded that no definitive determination could be made regarding the exact source of the gunfire that left Abu Akleh fatally wounded. While there is a strong possibility that she was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire, it is also plausible that she was hit by gunfire from Palestinian Arab terrorists, the report said.

Last November, the US administration informed the Israeli government about the FBI’s investigation into Abu Akleh’s death.

The latest update from US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel suggests that the FBI report is likely to confirm that Abu Akleh’s death resulted from accidental IDF gunfire.