Lina Abu Akleh named in BBC's annual list of 100 most 'inspiring, influential' women

Shireen Abu Akleh's niece, Lina, has been named in the BBC's annual list of "inspiring and influential" women.

Lina Abu Akleh was described as a "Palestinian-Armenian human rights advocate" in an article by the British broadcaster when the 'BBC 100 Women 2022' list was unveiled on Tuesday.

Her aunt Shireen was shot dead by Israeli forces in May as she reported on a military raid at the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Mourners at the veteran Palestinian correspondent's Jerusalem funeral were later brutally attacked by Israeli police.

"We need to pick up where my aunt Shireen Abu Akleh left off and continue to amplify women's perspectives so we can ensure that the stories we're telling and the information we're gathering is equitable, accurate, and whole - without women, that's not possible," Lina was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The broadcaster called Lina the "face of a campaign for justice and accountability" over the killing of Shireen, who is a US citizen.

Lina said she was "honoured" to be part of the BBC list in a tweet on Tuesday.

"Being recognised for my efforts to seek justice and accountability for my dear aunt, Palestinian American journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh, is a testament that my voice is being heard," she added.

Lina was also included in 'TIME100 Next' this year, TIME magazine's annual list of '100 rising stars'.

I’m honored to be named one of @BBC100women list of 2022. Being recognized for my efforts to seek justice and accountability for my dear aunt, Palestinian American journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh, is a testament that my voice is being heard. https://t.co/66Df4qE2IB

— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh) December 6, 2022

On Tuesday, Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab broadcaster Shireen worked for, submitted the slain journalist's case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The channel said it had "unearthed new evidence" on her death.

Shireen Abu Akleh: Al Jazeera lodges case with ICC

Al Jazeera said its submission highlighted "new witness evidence and video footage [that] clearly show that Shireen and her colleagues were directly fired at by the Israeli Occupation Forces".

"The claim by the Israeli authorities that Shireen was killed by mistake in an exchange of fire is completely unfounded."

Agencies contributed to this report.