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October 28, 2025 – Palestine/USA –
In a fresh and sharply contested turn in the case of Shireen Abu Akleh—the Palestinian-American reporter for Al Jazeera who was killed on May 11, 2022, while covering a raid by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank town of Jenin refugee camp—a retired US military officer who led a US investigation now publicly claims the shooting was intentional. Colonel Steve Gabavics, a veteran of the US military police and former Guantánamo commander, told the New York Times his team concluded that the Israeli sniper who fired the fatal shot must have recognized that Abu Akleh was a journalist, given her clearly marked “Press” vest and helmet. He said the evidence of communications and positioning left “no reasonable doubt” that the shooting was deliberate.
According to the Times of Israel reporting, Gabavics asserted that the US State Department softened his findings and presented the outcome as unintentional fire rather than deliberate targeting. He said he and his colleagues were stunned that their conclusion—intentional killing—did not make it into the formal US account.
The case has long been contentious. Abu Akleh was shot in the head while covering the IDF operation, wearing visibly marked press gear. Independent investigations, including those by United Nations agencies and the US government, previously concluded that gunfire from Israeli military positions “most likely” caused her death but did not find enough evidence to label it intentional.
Gabavics argues the sniper’s ability to track reporters on the street, the trajectory of the shot, and internal communications among Israeli forces all point to a conscious and targeted act. He says the Israeli soldier would have had a clear sight of the press team and should have recognized the protected status of journalists under international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military initially blamed Palestinian gunfire; later, it acknowledged that one of its soldiers may have fired the shot, though it rejected criminal proceedings and maintained a misidentification narrative. The Palestinian Authority and press freedom advocates have rejected this version and called for full accountability.
The new claims by the US investigator augur renewed pressure on the US government to revisit its conclusions and shift its diplomatic posture toward Israel. They also reignite calls for an independent international probe, as media freedom organizations warn that Abu Akleh’s case still lacks justice and accountability.
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