UK foreign secretary 'saddened' by journalist's death in West Bank

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on that she was “saddened to hear of the death of respected journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh,” a Palestinian reporter shot to death Wednesday in the occupied West Bank.

“The work of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected to carry out their work,” Truss wrote on Twitter Thursday, falling short of condemning the killing of the veteran Al Jazeera journalist, which caused an outcry worldwide.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday that Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in the Palestinian city of Jenin.

Abu Akleh was shot in the head, while her colleague Ali Al Samoudi was shot in the back but survived.

Al Jazeera accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing Abu Akleh, while the Israeli army said she was "killed by Palestinian gunmen."

Israeli daily Haaretz later reported an initial Israeli army probe found it was "still unclear" whether Akleh was killed by Israeli forces or Palestinian "gunmen."

The Palestinian Authority has confirmed that Abu Akleh was “shot dead by the Israeli army.”

Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Al-Samoudi as saying that the occupation forces targeted journalists directly, which led to his being shot in the back and Abu Akleh being shot in the head.