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President Mahmoud Abbas attended the official memorial for Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh in Ramallah
The body of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh has arrived in Jerusalem, where he will be prayed over in a church before being buried in Mount Zion Cemetery, next to her parents.
The Al-Jazeera correspondent was killed while covering the Israeli army’s storming of Jenin camp on Wednesday morning.
While Palestinian officials and Al-Jazeera accused the Israeli forces of killing Abu Aqila, the Israeli authorities denied that they had targeted her.
An official and popular memorial ceremony was held for the body of Shirin Abu Akleh in the West Bank on Thursday, with the participation of thousands of Palestinians.
Palestinian officials, representatives of the factions, foreign diplomats and citizens participated in the official ceremony, which was held at the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah.
The body of Shireen Abu Aqleh was transferred from the Palestinian presidency headquarters in Ramallah to the city of Jerusalem on Thursday evening, aboard a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance.
Investigation
While Israeli officials had talked yesterday regarding the possibility that Abu Aqila had been killed by stray bullets by Israeli militants, the Israeli Defense Minister said today that the army is not sure how she was killed, adding, “Perhaps a Palestinian shot her…and maybe it was a bullet from our side.” We are investigating.”
“It is unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is currently preventing any possibility of conducting a joint investigation, or even reaching the preliminary results necessary to reach the truth,” the Israeli prime minister said Thursday.
For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said during the official memorial ceremony for Abu Aqila in Ramallah, “We rejected the joint investigation with the Israeli occupation authorities, because they committed the crime and because we do not trust them.” He added that the Palestinian Authority “will immediately go to the International Criminal Court to track down the criminals.”
Meanwhile, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, blamed the Israeli “occupation forces” for the shooting death of Palestinian journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh on Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, in statements he made during an official visit to Iran on Thursday.
picture released, EPA
Sherine Abu Aqleh wears a jacket for journalists
“An independent and transparent investigation”
The Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at An-Najah University Hospital in Nablus, Rayan Al-Ali, confirmed that Abu Aqila was killed “with a very high-speed weapon.”
After completing the first stage of examining the body, Al-Ali said that he had reservations regarding a “distorted projectile that caused a complete laceration of the brain and skull bones,” stressing that “the bullet was directly fatal.”
According to the Ministry of Health, the projectile was transferred to the Palestinian Criminal Investigation Laboratory, and the file is under official investigation with the Public Prosecution, which is authorized to issue its report on the projectile.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, said on Thursday in a tweet on Twitter, “Israel requested a joint investigation, and handed it over the bullet that assassinated journalist Shireen, and we rejected that,” given that all “indications, evidence and witnesses confirm her assassination by Israeli special units.” .
“We have confirmed that our investigation will be completed independently, and we will inform her family, America, Qatar and all official and popular bodies of the results of the investigation with high transparency,” he added.
It is noteworthy that Shireen Abu Aqleh holds American citizenship, in addition to her Palestinian citizenship.
