Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was shot dead by Israeli forces in Jenin
An Al Jazeera correspondent for over two decades, Abu Akleh was wearing a press vest when hit by an Israeli bullet.
A journalist working alongside her at the time, Shatha Hanaysha, said that there had been no warning from the soldiers and that the journalist group appeared to have been deliberately targeted.
The Derry and North West branch of the National Union of Journalists said in a statement: “Our heart goes out to Shireen’s family and friends.
“She was a brave and committed journalist.
“We extend our condolences also to her colleagues at Al Jazeera, who will have been devastated by her death.
“Inevitably, NUJ members in our area are reminded of the killing of our sister Lyra McKee in the Creggan estate three years ago.
“Two fearless young women intent on bringing the truth to the world have paid with their lives.”
NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “This incident must be seen in the context of Israel’s systematic targeting of journalists working in Palestine and its failure to properly investigate killings of media workers.”
International Federation of Journalists General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said that “Testimony from journalists who were with her suggests that this was deliberate and systematic targeting…Journalists, clearly identified, were not alongside demonstrators, they were not a threat.
“They have been targeted to prevent them bearing witness and telling the truth about the Israeli action in Jenin.”
The Derry and North West branch declared: “If we demand justice for Ukrainian journalists targeted by Russia, we must also demand an end to, and justice for, Palestinian journalists targeting and killed by Israel.”
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