On the eleventh day of May, Arab media lost one of its prominent figures.
“The maven Palestinian reporter Sheerin Abu Akleh was killed “in cold blood,” the Arab media said, describing her assassination as a “horrifying crime that breaches international norms and ethics”.
She was allegedly shot by Israeli soldiers while covering an Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. However, the Israeli military denied that its forces targeted the journalists and called for a ” joint pathological analysis and investigation” to establish the truth.
Ms. Abu Akleh was shot “despite the fact that she was wearing a jacket with the word ‘press’ written on it”, Audrey Azoulay, head of UNESCO said.
“The killing of a clearly identified press worker in a conflict area is a violation of international law. I call on the relevant authorities to investigate this crime and bring those responsible to justice.”
“We condemn this heinous crime, intended to prevent the media from carrying out its message, and we hold the Israeli government and the occupation forces responsible for her death,” the Al Jazeera channel wrote on Twitter.
Immediately following her death, world leaders, Egypt’s media representatives, Arab press institutions, and syndicates, took to their social media platforms to mourn the death of the martyr of justice and faith.
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets on Thursday, chanting ‘Thank you, dear Shireen’, as calls mounted for an independent investigation into the killing of the late journalist.
“Her spunky spirit and zest for life will never be forgotten. Rest in peace,” Sahr Ramdan, an Egyptian journalist posted Wednesday on Facebook.
Also in this regard, Safaa Nawar, the Akhbar El-Youm journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Sada El-Bald Universities, described Abu Akleh as “The alive icon of the Palestinian cause.”
She pointed out that despite her death, Abu Akleh’s honest voice will continue to inspire a sense of justice and courage among people in the occupied Palestinian lands, where she died.
“She died defending her beloved land and her people’s freedom as well,” Nawar noted.
Born in East Jerusalem, the late journalist worked in the renowned television network Al Jazeera in the late 1990s and also served as a reporter for several agencies such as UNRWA, Radio Voice of Palestine, Amman satellite channel, the Moftah Foundation, and Radio Monte Carlo.
