Israel identifies rifle that may have killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

Palestinians have been asked to turn over the bullet for analysis

Two women take a selfie on May 19 at an art exhibition honouring Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin city in the occupied West Bank. AFP

The rifle that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh may have been identified by the Israeli military, an official says.

A military official said the source of the shot is still unclear but “we have narrowed down the IDF weapon that might be involved in the fire exchange near Shireen”.

Israel has asked Palestinians to turn over the bullet for analysis, AP reported.

Abu Akleh was fatally shot on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials, along with fellow journalists who were with Abu Akleh, said Israeli troops stationed nearby killed her.

The Israeli army said she was shot during a battle between troops and Palestinian gunmen but said it could not be determined who fired the fatal bullet without a proper analysis.

Israel has called for a joint investigation with the Palestinians.

The Palestinians have refused to hand over the bullet, saying they do not trust Israel. They said they are conducting their own investigation and are ready to co-operate with any country except Israel.

The military last week released the results of a preliminary investigation that offered two possible causes of death. It said that in one scenario she may have been hit by Palestinian gunfire during a fierce shoot-out with Israeli troops.

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  Violence erupts between Israeli security forces and mourners carrying the casket of killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh before it is taken to a church and then to her final resting place in Jerusalem. AFP

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  Israeli police detain a protester near Jaffa Gate while the funeral of Abu Akleh, who was killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin in the West Bank, takes place in Jerusalem. Reuters

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  An Israeli police officer scuffles with a man as Abu Akleh's casket is loaded into a minivan before her funeral procession in the Old City of Jerusalem. EPA

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  Palestinian mourners carry the casket of Abu Akleh out of a hospital before it is taken to a church. AFP

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  Israeli soldiers stand guard as the casket is carried by family and friends during her funeral in Jerusalem. Reuters

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  Israeli mounted police in riot gear outside the hospital where the killed veteran journalist was taken, in East Jerusalem. AP

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  People pray as they gather at the St Joseph Hospital to pay tribute to Abu Akleh before her funeral. EPA

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  Violence erupts between Israeli security forces and Palestinian mourners. AFP

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  A Palestinian woman waves a national flag on the rooftop of a building where an Israeli flag has been placed, hours before the funeral in Jerusalem. AFP

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  Israeli police on guard during the funeral procession. EPA

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  People wave Palestinian flags as they gather to pay tribute to Abu Akleh before her funeral. EPA

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  Israeli border police stand guard before the funeral. EPA

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  Mourners react during the burial of the veteran journalist at the Mount Zion Cemetery outside Jerusalem's Old City. AFP

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  Family and friends stand by Abu Akleh's coffin during her funeral in a church in Jerusalem. Reuters

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  Family and friends carry the coffin during the funeral. Reuters

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  Mourners gather to bury Abu Akleh in Jerusalem. AP

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  Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Reuters

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  Mourners hold a banner with a photo of Abu Akleh as they walk from the Old City of Jerusalem to her burial site. AP

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  Mourners attend the funeral in the Old City of Jerusalem. AP

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  Mourners carry the coffin to the Mount Zion Cemetery. AFP

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  Family and friends carry Abu Akleh's coffin during her funeral in Jerusalem. Reuters

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  Israeli police arrest a man during the funeral procession in Jerusalem. EPA

In the second, it said she might have been hit by an Israeli soldier who shot through a “designated firing hole” in a military vehicle at a Palestinian gunman who was shooting at the vehicle. It said it could not determine the source of fire without analysing the bullet.

The military official confirmed that investigators have turned their focus to a specific weapon.

He said if the Palestinians co-operate with the investigation, Israel will “hopefully be able to compare the bullet to that barrel and check if there is a match.” He spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing guidelines.

The Palestinians have been conducting their own investigation. Last Friday, the Palestinian public prosecutor said preliminary findings show Abu Akleh was killed by deliberate fire from Israeli troops. The prosecutor said the investigation would continue.

Bellingcat, an independent Dutch-based open-source research firm, has conducted its own analysis of material gathered largely from videos on social media. It said its initial findings lent support to Palestinian witnesses who say she was killed by Israeli fire.

Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American and 25-year veteran of Al Jazeera, was killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. She was a household name across the Arab world, known for documenting the hardship of Palestinian life under Israeli rule, now in its sixth decade.

The shooting drew condemnations and statements of concern from around the world. Israel has also been widely criticised for the behaviour of its police, who pushed and beat mourners at Abu Akleh's funeral last Friday, causing the pallbearers to nearly drop her coffin.