Findings suggest Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh killed by Israeli forces, says UN human rights office

Information reviewed by the UN human rights office suggests Israeli security forces fired the shots that killed Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in May, not indiscriminate firing from Palestinians, a spokesperson says.

Key points:

A UN spokesperson says its findings show the shots that killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh came from Israeli Security Forces

The UN rights office conducted its own "monitoring" of the incident, examining video from the incident, as well as consulting experts and interviewing witnesses

Israel claims Ms Abu Akleh was killed during an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen

"It is deeply disturbing that Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation," Ravina Shamdasani told a briefing in Geneva.

Israeli and Palestinians officials have exchanged recriminations over the incident that also led to violent scenes at Ms Abu Akleh's funeral when Israeli police officers charged at mourners.

On Friday, the Israeli Defences Forces (IDF) said it was committed to investigating Ms Abu Akleh's death and called on the Palestinian authorities to share access to the bullet that killed her.

However, the Palestinian Authority has refused to hand over the bullet, saying it does not trust Israel.

"The results of the UN investigation confirm once again what we said from the start: that Israel is responsible for the killing of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and it must be held accountable for this crime," a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said.

Ms Shamdasani said the UN rights office had conducted its own "monitoring" of the incident — she declined to use the word "investigation" — and had gone through photographic, video and audio material.

It had also visited the scene, consulted experts, reviewed official communications and interviewed witnesses, she said.

"All information we have gathered — including official information from the Israeli military and the Palestinian Attorney-General — is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli Security Forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities," she said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-25/findings-suggest-al-jazeera-journalist-killed-by-israeli-forces/101183006