The Israeli military released on Monday the final conclusions of its probe into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, determining that the Al Jazeera reporter was most likely killed by a stray Israeli bullet.
According to the findings of the probe into the fatal shooting, the military said "it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit Ms. Abu Akleh. However, there is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen, during an exchange of fire in which life-risking, widespread and indiscriminate shots were fired toward IDF soldiers."
Abu Akleh was shot and killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army raid in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. During the operation, clashes erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in a densely populated area, with the sides exchanging fire for almost an hour, during which the reporter was caught in the crossfire.
However, the report noted that upon examining the findings, the Military Prosecution found "no suspicion of a criminal offense that justifies the opening of a Military Police investigation."