“[I]It seems that the source of the shooting that injured and killed Mrs. Abu Akle cannot be determined unambiguously. However, there is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Okla was accidentally hit by Israeli army fire that was fired at the suspects identified as Palestinian militants during an exchange of fire,” the IDF said in a statement.
A senior Israeli army official, who briefed reporters on the results of the army’s investigation before their release, said that the IDF forces did not know they were shooting at the press, and said that Abu Aqla’s back “probably” turned to the soldiers was a catalyst. In photos from the shooting scene, Abu Aqleh wears a protective jacket with “Press” written on it from the front and back.
“When they fired in this direction, the soldiers didn’t know they were shooting at the journalists. They thought they were shooting at gunmen shooting at them,” the IDF official said.
“When the soldier made this decision, it was the blink of an eye,” the official said. He added, “The soldier did not mean to injure a journalist from Al-Jazeera or… [journalist] than any other network.
“The soldier is sorry, and I’m sorry,” the official said. “This was not supposed to happen and shouldn’t happen. He didn’t do it on purpose.” The soldier’s name was not mentioned.
When she was killed, Abu Oqla was accompanied by a group of other journalists, including her producer Ali Al-Samudi, who was injured in the accident.
According to the Palestinian autopsy, Abu Okla was killed by a single bullet to the back of the head.
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