A newly-released video shows relative calm and quiet in the area where Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces, contradicting the regime's version of events.
Ramallah, July 5 (RHC)-- A newly-released video shows relative calm and quiet in the area where Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces, contradicting the regime's version of events.
Meanwhile, Abu Akleh's family said in a statement it was "incredulous" that an examination by U.S. authorities could not determine whose gun fired the bullet that killed her. "We will continue to advocate for justice for Shireen, and to hold the Israeli military accountable, no matter the attempts to obfuscate the reality of what happened on May 11."
"The truth is that the Israeli military killed Shireen according to policies that view all Palestinians - civilian, press or otherwise - as legitimate targets, and we were expecting that an American investigation would focus on finding the responsible parties and holding them accountable, not parsing over barely-relevant details and then assuming good faith on behalf of a recalcitrant and hostile occupying power," added the statement.
In a statement released earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department said Abu Akleh was likely killed by unintentional gunfire from Israeli positions, but independent investigators failed to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet that hit her.
The statement further said the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC), after summarizing investigations by both the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority, have concluded that gunfire from Israeli positions was likely responsible for the death of Abu Akleh.
The USSC has found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an Israeli-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the statement added.
It also explained that in forensic analysis by third-party examiners overseen by the USSC, however, ballistic experts determined the bullet was badly damaged which prevented a clear conclusion as to its origin.