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A picture of Al
Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during an Israeli raid in
Jenin, is displayed at the Al-Jazeera headquarters building in Doha, Qatar, May
11, 2022. REUTERS/Imad Creidi
"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 shooting that
also led to chaotic scenes at Abu Akleh's funeral when Israeli police officers
charged at mourners.
The
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated on Friday that Abu Akleh's death would be
thoroughly investigated, and they urged the Palestinian leadership to grant
them access to the bullet that killed her. Because it doesn't trust Israel, the
Palestinian Authority has declined to turn over the bullet.
Nabil
Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters
that the findings 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."
Shamdasani
said the U.N. rights office had conducted its own "monitoring" of the
incident - she declined to use the word investigation - and had gone through
photo, 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.
According
to the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli soldier shot Abu Akleh in a
"deliberate murder" after conducting an inquiry. Her death was
allegedly caused by Israeli fire, according to a number of witnesses, including
Palestinian journalists. Israel refuted the charge.
On
May 11, Abu Akleh was fatally shot while reporting an Israeli military raid in
the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
"Our
findings indicate that no warnings were issued and no shooting was taking place
at that time and at that location," Shamdasani said.
"At
around 06h 30, as four of the journalists turned into the street leading to the
camp, wearing bulletproof helmets and flak jackets with 'PRESS' markings,
several single, seemingly well-aimed bullets were fired towards them from the
direction of the Israeli Security Forces," she said.
"One
single bullet injured Ali Sammoudi in the shoulder, another single bullet hit
Abu Akleh in the head and killed her instantly."
In
a statement responding to Shamdasani's briefing, the IDF insisted there had
been an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen.
"Ever
since the incident, the IDF has been investigating and reviewing the
circumstances of Ms Abu Akleh's death," the statement said.
"The
IDF investigation clearly concludes that Ms Abu Akleh was not intentionally
shot by an IDF soldier and that it is not possible to determine whether she was
killed by a Palestinian gunman shooting indiscriminately in her area or
inadvertently by an IDF soldier."
In
a previous statement, the Israeli military said it identified a soldier's rifle
that may have killed Abu Akleh but that it needed to analyse the fatal bullet
to be certain.
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