NYT: IDF soldier likely killed reporter Abu Akleh, but no evidence it was deliberate

Veteran Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was apparently killed by an Israeli soldier during a West Bank raid, but there is no evidence the targeting was deliberate, according to a month-long investigation published by the New York Times.

The US outlet publishes a detailed analysis of last month’s gunfight in Jenin, concluding that “the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh was fired from the approximate location of the Israeli military convoy, most likely by a soldier from an elite unit.”

“The Times found no evidence that the person who fired recognized Ms. Abu Akleh and targeted her personally,” it adds. “The Times was unable to determine whether the shooter saw that she and her colleagues were wearing protective vests emblazoned with the word Press.”

The report says the findings contradict several Israeli claims.

“The evidence reviewed by The Times showed that there were no armed Palestinians near her when she was shot. It contradicted Israeli claims that, if a soldier had mistakenly killed her, it was because he had been shooting at a Palestinian gunman,” it says.

“The Times investigation also showed that 16 shots were fired from the location of the Israeli convoy, as opposed to Israeli claims that the soldier had fired five bullets in the journalists’ direction.”