A year on, IDF spokesperson apologizes for Shireen Abu Akleh’s death for 1st time

Exactly a year after prominent Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in the West Bank’s Jenin, likely by an Israeli soldier, the IDF spokesperson for the first time issues an apology for the incident, which caused widespread international condemnation.

“I think it’s an opportunity for me to say here that we are very sorry [for] the death of the late Shireen Abu Akleh,” IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari says during an interview with CNN.

“She was a journalist, a very established journalist,” he adds. “In Israel, we are a democracy, and in a democracy we see high value in journalism and in free press. We want journalists to feel safe in Israel, especially in war time, and even if they criticize us, we want them to feel safe. It’s all about democracy, and we are a liberal democracy.”

"We are very sorry of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh."

IDF chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari to CNN's @EleniGiokos a year to the day after the well-known Al Jazeera correspondent was killed while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/JJanmI8zjN

— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) May 11, 2023