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Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent

PALESTINIAN journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was allegedly killed this morning by Israeli soldiers on her way to cover an Israeli attack on the civilian refugee camp in Jenin, Palestine.

Shireen Abu Akleh was the Palestinian Aljazeera News Television Channel Correspondent and a prominent iconic female journalist not only in Palestine but in the Middle East with over 26 years of reporting with Aljazeera news channel.

She was shot together with Ali Al-Sammoudi the producer of Aljazeera news channel in Palestine despite them wearing clearly marked press helmets and jackets.

Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Tamer Almassri said the Israeli occupation army prevented any medical assistance by continuously shooting at other journalists or paramedic trying to assist in saving the life of the two reporters.

“These heinous crimes against journalists are a systematic Israeli attempt to silence the voice of truth and to cover up the crimes of its occupation against our people in order to isolate our Palestinian people from the rest of the world,” he said.

“The Israeli policy of shoot to kill under the instructions of the military commanders and high-level political leaders has turned its soldiers into mere machines to kill Palestinians. This policy should be condemned and the perpetrators of these crimes should be brought to justice.

“The latest crimes are as a result of Israel’s failure to integrate its imported citizens from over 120 nations which has caused racism and competition to adopt the culture of aggression and violence against the Palestinian people.”

He said the international community’s silence towards the crimes committed against the Palestinian people by Israel encourages Israelites to continue violence against journalists, health personnel and the Palestine people in general.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine has called on the International Criminal Court to take urgent action to investigate the Israeli crimes and bring the perpetrators to book.