United Nations spokesman, Farhan Haq, said today, Friday, that the organization had seen a “shocking” video clip showing violence during the funeral of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Aqleh in Jerusalem.
United nations-. “We just saw the video showing that, and it’s very shocking to us,” Haq told reporters in a statement. He added that the organization calls on the Israeli government to protect freedom of peaceful assembly.
The video clip showed violence that erupted during Abu Aqila’s funeral in Jerusalem when the Israeli police attacked the crowd carrying her coffin outside the hospital. Haq said the United Nations would try to gather more information about the incident.
“Clearly, as in all cases, we want to make sure that the fundamental rights to freedom of assembly, and of course the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, are protected,” the UN spokesperson added.
Haq added that no country can attack or kill journalists, and those responsible for such acts must be held accountable, referring to the incident that occurred on Wednesday morning, in which Abu Aqila was killed while covering the Israeli forces’ storming of Jenin camp.
Last Wednesday morning, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the killing of reporter and journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, by Israeli army bullets, while storming the Jenin refugee camp.
The ministry stated that the Qatari journalist and correspondent for the “Al-Jazeera” channel, Sherine Abu Aqleh, was hit by a direct bullet in the head, killing her instantly, while covering the events of the storming of Jenin camp by the Israeli forces.
“AFP” quoted its photographer, who was at the scene, as saying that Shireen Abu Aqleh was wearing a bulletproof vest when she was killed, adding that the Israeli forces started shooting in the area and then saw the journalist’s body lying on the ground.
While the head of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, said that there is evidence that the killing of “Al-Jazeera” reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, during an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, was a “deliberate targeting.”