Shireen Abu Akleh – Status: No Court case Initiated

Jeff German – Status: Solved

February 9, 2025

(FILES) This handout file picture obtained from a former colleague of Al-Jazeera's slain veteran TV journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh (Akleh), shows her reporting from Jerusalem on June 12, 2021. - The Israeli army said on September 5, 2022, there was a "high possibility" that Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead by an Israeli soldier who mistook her for a militant. (Photo by HANDOUT / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

At approximately 7:00 AM, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a reporter for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot while covering clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Jenin Refugee Camp. Abu Akleh was wearing a marked press vest at the time. Another journalist, Ali Samoudi, sustained injuries during the same incident.

Shireen Abu Akleh’s last word/work: “I am Shireen Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera, Falasteen”

Journalist Information:

Name: Shireen Abu Akleh

Age: 51

Gender: Female

DOB: 04/03/1971

Nationality: Palestinian/American

Last company worked for: Al Jazeera

Family: Shireen left behind her only remaining family member, her brother.

Incident Information:

Date of incident – 11 May 2022

Location of incident – Jenin Camp, Jenin, Palestine.

Offense victim of: Assassination

Weapons included – Firearm

Suspect(s) Information:

Perpetrator Identified: Yes

Name: Alon Scagio

Proof of Targeting the Journalist: “The number of strike marks on the tree where Shireen was standing proves this wasn’t a random shot. She was targeted”, CNN.

Reason for Killing: She was shot by Israeli forces while covering their incursions and raid on the Jenin camp. Shortly before the news was officially announced, it was preceded by a sympathetic report.

Progress of the Case: “Perhaps the DOJ thinks we will forget about the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh as well as the investigation that it promised the American people two years ago, but we have not,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN. “The DOJ should take responsibility for its apparent failure to make progress on this investigation, which has fueled Israel’s impunity, leading to the systematic and widespread killings of Palestinian journalists, at least 108 since Abu Akleh’s 2022 killing.”

Success Factors in Shireen’s Case: The success factors in Shireen Abu Akleh’s case were global media coverage, eyewitness and video evidence proving she was identified as a journalist when shot, strong advocacy by press freedom groups and her family, and international calls for impartial investigations that pressured authorities to act.