JENIN – An Al Jazeera reporter was shot dead by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
On the other hand, the military claimed that she may have been shot by Palestinians as they clashed with its troops.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed Shireen Abu Akleh’s death and said a second reporter, Ali Samodi, had been wounded.
Palestinian official said Shireen Abu Akleh had been killed by Israeli forces while reporting on a raid in the city of Jenin, which has seen witnessed intense violence in recent weeks.
Al Jazeera reported that Abu Akleh was hit by a live bullet after which she was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared her dead.
“What we know for now is that the Palestinian Health Ministry has announced her death. Shireen Abu Akleh, was covering the events unfolding in Jenin, specifically an Israeli raid the city, which is north of the occupied West Bank, when she was hit by a bullet to the head,” the Qatar-based news channel quoted another one of its journalist’s, Nida Ibrahim, as speaking from the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
In a statement issued here, the military said its troops had shot back after coming under “massive fire” in Jenin and that there is a possibility that reporters were hit by shoots fired by Palestinian gunmen”.