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Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

UNSOLVED2022Jenin refugee camp, West Bank3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Coordinates of Shireen Abu Akleh murder
Coordinates of Shireen Abu Akleh murder — Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0

On the morning of 11 May 2022, Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting on an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. She was wearing a blue vest marked "PRESS," standard attire for journalists in conflict zones, and was struck in the head. She was taken to Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital in Jenin, where she was pronounced dead. Colleague Ali al-Samoudi, also an Al Jazeera journalist, was shot in the back during the same incident and survived; he said Abu Akleh had been shot while she took cover and that troops continued firing as she lay on the ground. Fellow journalist Shatha Hanaysha alleged Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching Abu Akleh.

Israel's initial public position attributed her death to "indiscriminate" Palestinian gunfire during an armed clash. Eyewitnesses and Al Jazeera disputed that there had been any Palestinian gunfire in the immediate vicinity. Within days, Israeli officials, as reported by Haaretz, said an Israeli soldier positioned roughly 150–190 meters away in a jeep, armed with an M4 carbine fitted with a telescopic sight, may have fired the fatal shot. An autopsy performed by the director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at An-Najah National University found no evidence the shot was fired from close range, and forensic officials in Nablus stated the bullet had struck her head directly and fatally.

Separate investigations by CNN, The New York Times, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that the fatal shot came from the direction of Israeli forces and found no evidence of Palestinian gunmen near Abu Akleh at the time. The Palestinian Public Prosecutor's official investigation, announced 26 May 2022, concluded the shooting was deliberate and that the facts supported charges of premeditated killing of Abu Akleh and attempted killing of al-Samoudi; as of July 2026, no named individual had been charged in any jurisdiction. The Israeli army initially refused to open a criminal investigation, with officials telling Haaretz there were "no criminal suspicions." On 5 September 2022, the Israeli military announced its prosecutors found no violation warranting a criminal investigation into the killing or the soldier believed to have fired.

Her death and the subsequent police disruption of her funeral procession in Jerusalem, which included physical confrontations with mourners and removal of Palestinian flags, drew wide international condemnation from governments, journalist unions, and human rights organizations, several of which characterized the killing as an attack on press freedom. Al Jazeera later referred the matter to the International Criminal Court.

Key facts

Victims
Shireen Abu Akleh, Ali al-Samoudi
Date
2022
Location
Jenin refugee camp, West Bank
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 2022-05-11

    Shireen Abu Akleh is shot in the head while covering an IDF raid on the Jenin refugee camp and is pronounced dead at Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital.

  2. 2022-05-12

    Official procession honoring Abu Akleh held at the Palestinian Presidency in Ramallah ahead of transfer to Jerusalem.

  3. 2022-05-13

    Funeral procession from St. Joseph's Hospital, Jerusalem, to the Roman Catholic Church is disrupted by Israeli police; Abu Akleh is buried at Mount Zion cemetery.

  4. 2022-05-15

    Haaretz reports an Israeli official's admission that an Israeli soldier roughly 190 meters away, armed with a telescopic-sighted rifle, may have fired the fatal shot.

  5. 2022-05-19

    Israeli army officials tell Haaretz that Israel will not open a criminal investigation into the killing.

  6. 2022-05-26

    Palestinian Public Prosecutor announces official investigation findings concluding the killing was deliberate.

  7. 2022-06-20

    The New York Times publishes an investigation concluding the fatal bullet was fired from the location of the Israeli military convoy.

  8. 2022-07-02

    Palestinian Public Prosecutor refuses to hand the bullet to Israel; Israel agrees to a US forensic examination instead.

  9. 2022-09-05

    Israeli military announces its prosecutors found no violation warranting a criminal investigation into the killing.

  10. 2023-10-26

    A memorial erected at the site of Abu Akleh's killing is bulldozed by Israeli soldiers.

  11. 2024-09-22

    Israeli forces raid and shut down Al Jazeera's Ramallah office and remove a poster of Abu Akleh.

  12. 2025-05

    Documentary "Who Killed Shireen?" by Zeteo is released, naming a specific Israeli soldier as the shooter.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Shireen Abu Akleh

    VICTIM

    Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist shot and killed while covering an IDF raid on the Jenin refugee camp on 11 May 2022.

  • Ali al-Samoudi

    VICTIM

    Al Jazeera journalist shot in the back during the same incident; survived. Palestinian prosecutors described the act against him as attempted killing.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Coordinates of Shireen Abu Akleh murder

    archival location

    Coordinates of Shireen Abu Akleh murder

    Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

  • Graffiti of Shireen Abu Akleh in Nazareth

    archival location

    Graffiti of Shireen Abu Akleh in Nazareth

    Credit: Davide Mauro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Shireen Abu Akleh

    unclassified

    Shireen Abu Akleh

    Credit: Al Jazeera Media Network · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Justice for Shireen - 'the flower of Palestine" -1

    archival location

    Justice for Shireen - 'the flower of Palestine" -1

    Credit: Alisdare Hickson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

  • Defiance and anger over Shireen's killing

    archival location

    Defiance and anger over Shireen's killing

    Credit: Alisdare Hickson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

  • Rest in Power Shireen (52080841617)

    archival location

    Rest in Power Shireen (52080841617)

    Credit: Alisdare Hickson from Woolwich, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

  • Bristol PSC Nakba Day 2022 02

    unclassified

    Bristol PSC Nakba Day 2022 02

    Credit: Fjmustak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Jews Protest in Solidarity with Palestine -1 (52082106404)

    archival location

    Jews Protest in Solidarity with Palestine -1 (52082106404)

    Credit: Alisdare Hickson from Woolwich, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

  • The place where Shireen Abu Akleh was assassinated

    archival location

    The place where Shireen Abu Akleh was assassinated

    Credit: alwatan_live · CC BY 3.0 · Source

Places

Jenin refugee camp, West Bank

32.4639, 35.2842

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in the head and killed on 11 May 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp for Al Jazeera. Multiple media, UN, and Palestinian investigations found she was killed by gunfire from Israeli forces; Israel's military prosecutors declined to open a criminal investigation.
Where did the killing happen?
Jenin refugee camp, West Bank.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Palestinian Territories

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICKilling of Shireen Abu AklehWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 07, 2026