Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American who was among the network's most prominent figures, was shot dead Wednesday as she covered an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank.
The Qatar-based TV channel said Israeli forces shot Abu Akleh, 51, deliberately and "in cold blood" while she was covering unrest in the Jenin refugee camp.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett initially said it was "likely" that Palestinian gunfire killed her.
However, later Wednesday, Israel's military chief backed away from claims that Palestinian militants might have been responsible for Abu Akleh's killing.
“At this stage we cannot determine by whose fire she was harmed and we regret her death," said Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
The Al Jazeera claim is credible, since the Israeli armed forces have form. In 1967, during the 6-Day War, the USS Liberty was attacked, suffering casualties, and put out of action allegedly because it was picking up Israeli signals intelligence. The TV network also suffered during the Iraq military adventure of 2003 when US planes bombed its Baghdad bureau.
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