IDF investigation: High chance that soldier accidentally shot Al Jazeera journalist

September 5, 2022   

The IDF published on Monday afternoon the results of the military investigation into the death of Al Jazeera reporter Shirin Abu Aqla, who was killed by gunfire while covering an IDF operation to arrest terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp with her news team.

The Commander of the Central Command, Major General Yehuda Fox, presented to the Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, the final conclusions of the investigation into the shooting events that led to the journalist's death.

On May 11, 2022, as part of Operation Wavebreaker, IDF forces launched an arrest operation in the Jenin Governorate to thwart and prevent terrorism. In the weeks leading up to the operation, 19 Israelis were murdered in terrorist attacks, 11 of them by terrorists who came from the Jenin area. The operation took place in a very dense urban area, during which Palestinian terrorists fired extensive and indiscriminate fire at IDF fighters, including at the time and in the area where the journalist was killed, along with the throwing of explosive devices that hit military vehicles and near the fighters.

Towards the end of the activity, journalist Shirin Abu-Aqla was injured.

Since the incident, the IDF has been thoroughly investigating the circumstances of Abu Aqla's death. To this end, the Chief of Staff appointed a dedicated team, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Manny Liberty, to investigate what happened. The dedicated team was composed of IDF commanders and relevant professional bodies.

Initial conclusions from the interim investigation were presented to the Chief of Staff immediately after the incident, according to which it is not possible to determine with certainty the source of the shooting that injured and killed Abu Aqla. In light of this, the Chief of Staff instructed to continue investigating the incident while expanding the professional tools, in order to exhaust the investigation to its fullest extent and arrive at the truth.

For this purpose, a professional team from the special operations technological unit was added to the investigation team, headed by Lieutenant Colonel R.

As part of the investigation, the IDF force involved was questioned, and a chronological analysis of the course of events, real-time audio analysis, detailed analysis of the scene of the incident, and analysis of the shooting areas, including detailed imaging of the area, were also conducted. In addition, various forensic and ballistic findings from the scene were examined.

The investigators also examined additional information published regarding the event, including information presented by international media outlets, including video and audio documentation.

לאחר הפצרות חוזרות ונשנות, הועבר לבדיקה הקליע מהרשות הפלסטינית. ב-2 ביולי 2022 נערכה בדיקה בליסטית של הקליע במעבדה לזיהוי פלילי, על ידי גורמים מקצועיים ישראליים, ונכחו בה נציגים אמריקאים מקצועיים של מתאם הביטחון האמריקני (גנרל בכיר) בין ישראל לבין הרשות הפלסטינית, בבדיקה נקבע, כי לאור מצבו הפיזי של הקליע ומצב הסימנים עליו, קיים קושי של ממש בהסקת מסקנות. לפיכך, גם בבדיקה זו לא התאפשר לקבוע האם הקליע נורה או לא נורה מכלי נשק צה"לי. לפי כלל התחקירים שבוצעו, עולה כי לא ניתן לקבוע באופן חד משמעי על ידי מי נהרגה שירין אבו-עאקלה, אולם סבירות גבוהה יותר היא כי שירין נפגעה בשוגג מירי צה״ל, שבוצע לעבר מי שזוהו כמחבלים פלסטינים וזאת תוך כדי קרב, במהלכו נורה לעבר חיילי צה"ל ירי מסיבי, חסר הבחנה ומסכן חיים.

Along with this, it should be emphasized and clarified that throughout the entire incident, the fire of IDF soldiers was aimed and intended to hit the terrorists who were shooting at our forces. Another possibility is that Shirin Abu-Aqla was hit by gunfire from Palestinian terrorists, which was fired in the direction in which she was.

כמו כן, במסגרת התחקיר, כבכל תחקיר מבצעי מסוג זה, נבדקו נהלי הפתיחה באש ואופן יישומם ולא נמצאה חריגה. הרמטכ״ל קיבל את ממצאי התחקיר, וסיכם כי התחקיר שבוצע היה יסודי ומקיף, וכי צוותי התחקור הפכו כל אבן במטרה להגיע לחקר האמת. בנוסף קבע הרמטכ״ל בהמשך לממצאי התחקיר כי בשום שלב לא זוהתה העיתונאית, וכמו כן לא בוצע ירי מכוון של לוחמי צה״ל באופן שנועד לפגוע בעיתונאית. עם השלמת התחקיר, הועברו כל חומרי הבדיקה לבחינת הפרקליטות הצבאית.

The Chief Military Attorney was presented with a detailed analysis of the findings collected, and answers were given to clarifying questions directed to the investigation team. After a comprehensive examination of the incident, and based on all the findings, the Chief Military Attorney found that, in the circumstances of the case, there was no suspicion of a criminal offense that would justify opening a military police investigation.

""The IDF expresses sorrow over the death of the journalist," the IDF spokesman said in a statement. "Freedom of the press and maintaining the safety of journalists are cornerstones of Israeli democracy and the IDF is committed to them.".