Palestinian Attorney chief prosecutor Akram Khatib released the findings of the PA's investigation into the shooting death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh Thursday evening and claimed that Abu Aqleh was shot by IDF forces.
"The IDF has a clear and direct view of the location of the journalists in Jenin, at the moment of the shooting of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh," Khatib said.
Khatib said that Abu Agleh and the other journalists with her were wearing gear which clearly marked them as members of the press, and that she was shot as she was attempting to flee IDF gunfire.
“She was fleeing forward, as can be seen by the path taken by the bullet,” he said.
He stated that the bullet which struck Abu Aqleh was a “Roger” style bullet which was fired by an Issraeli sniper from between 170-200 meters away.
“The Israeli occupation forces began firing bullets at them, without any warning,” Khatib said, adding that the shooting was not accidental.
The PA will not share the bullet with Israeli investigators for an independent analysis even following the conclusion of its investigation.
Israel has maintained that it is possible that an IDF soldier accidentally shot Abu Aqleh but it is also possible that she was shot by terrorists who were engaged in a firefight with IDF troops at the time and were firing wildly. Israel has stated that without access to the bullet which killed her it is impossible to know which side fired the shot.