Shireen Abu Akleh: Activists mark 'six months of impunity' since reporter's killing

Journalists, activists and the family of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh have marked six months since the Al-Jazeera reporter was killed by Israeli forces.

"Six months ago, #ShireenAbuAkleh was killed in #Palestine . Six months of investigations that show the #AlJazeera journalist was deliberately targeted by the Israeli army. Six months of impunity for the crime," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) tweeted on Friday.

"RSF reiterates its full commitment to achieving justice for Shireen," the tweet added.

Paying tribute to its veteran reporter, Al-Jazeera  published an article recounting Abu Akleh's return to university in 2020, during which she forged a close bond with a West Bank Palestinian family for her final project.

For the digital media diploma at Birzeit University, Abu Akleh covered the story of Fayez Kawamleh, a Palestinian man who had been denied an ID card by Israeli authorities for 22 years.

This prevented the UAE-born Palestinian from working, travelling and getting married for decades.

"Shireen did not approach us like we were subjects for a case she had for work," Kawamleh told Al Jazeera. "She took a genuine interest in our life, our situation. She spoke to me, my siblings, my mother and father."

Six months ago, #ShireenAbuAkleh was killed in #Palestine 🇵🇸. Six months of investigations that show the #AlJazeera journalist was deliberately targeted by the Israeli army. Six months of impunity for the crime.
RSF reiterates its full commitment to achieving justice for Shireen. pic.twitter.com/Ahpko2L4BU

— RSF (@RSF_inter) November 11, 2022

Six months on from Abu Akleh's killing, no individual has been held responsible for her killing, despite Israel conceding in September that one of its soldiers had likely shot the journalist.

"They didn't fully admit that it was them. They didn't even give us the name of the soldier," Lina Abu Akleh, a neice of Shireen, told AFP. "They are unwilling to even open a criminal investigation." 

Six months ago today, Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli sniper. No one has been held accountable. Soon @AJFaultLines will release a short film about her work, shooting and the search for accountability, including in the US. The least we can do is keep her story alive.

— Laila Al-Arian (@LailaAlarian) November 11, 2022

Palestinian officials, Abu Akleh’s family and Al Jazeera accuse Israel of intentionally targeting and killing her. She was wearing a helmet and a protective vest marked with the word "PRESS" when she was shot in the occupied West Bank.

On Thursday, Abu Akleh's family attended a rare public hearing at the UN in Geneva, where they told investigators that she was deliberately targeted as part of Israel's "wide-scale war" on Palestinian media workers.

The hearings are being hosted by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) created by the UN Human Rights Council last year to probe the root causes of the decades-long Middle East conflict.

The family has also called for an independent investigation, including petitioning the International Criminal Court to open a probe.

Agencies contributed to this report.