Israel's killing of Shireen Abu Akleh was intentional, says lead US investigator

A retired US colonel involved in the investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has said that it concluded she was deliberately shot by an Israeli soldier.

In an interview with American outlet Zeteo News, Steve Gabavics also accused the Biden administration of softening the findings to appease Israel.

Gabavics, who was a chief of staff at the Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) at the time of Abu Akleh's killing, was tasked with investigating the shooting on behalf of the US government after the FBI declined to investigate.

He said that his "findings were beyond reasonable doubt" that Akleh's killing was "intentional".

Israeli forces shot and killed Abu Akleh during an Israeli raid on the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank in May 2022. Her death sparked Palestinian outrage and widespread international condemnation.

An Israeli army investigation into Abu Akleh's killing concluded that she was probably shot by an Israeli soldier but was not deliberately targeted. But several independent investigations found that Abu Akleh and her colleagues were explicitly targeted despite being identifiable as members of the press.

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