Another Palestinian Journalist Killed As Israel Admits That al-Jazeera Reporter Likely Killed By Army

A Palestinian journalist working in an Arab-Israel city was shot to death on Sunday after months of threats and attempts of killings, as the Israel government admits that al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh may have been killed by Israeli army fire.

Nadal Ijbaria, a 44-year-old Palestinian journalist who reported on violent crimes in the Arab-Israeli city of Umm Al-Fahm, was reportedly killed after two masked gunmen shot and killed him while he was sitting in his car, according to the Middle East Monitor.

Ijbaria has been the subject of threats and attempted killings for a while now due to his journalism, as last year over 50 bullets were fired on Ijbaria’s home with his wife and daughter inside due to his reporting, though no one was injured, the Times of Israel reported.

Many in the community have lamented the death of Ijbaria as a shocking incident, with the responsibility of his death laid at the feet of Israeli authorities whom his family and the organizations in the city said did nothing to protect the man.

“The police knew for a year that criminal organizations had marked Nadal Ijbaria’s home,” Hadash, a political faction in the area, said. “Nadal was murdered today due to the incompetence of the police. The murder of a journalist is an attempt to silence the voice of the Arab protest against violence and crime.”

“They always accuse the victim's families of not cooperating in the investigation to evade responsibility, but we gave them all the evidence and all the threats that Nidal and the family were exposed to. Despite the increase of crime in Arab society, there is no Israeli action to stop it,” Ijbaria’s father, Mohammed, said.

His death comes as Israel admits that the Israel Defense Forces may have shot and killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during her coverage of their military operation, though they have refused to push for charges against its officers, according to CNN.

“[I]t appears that it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit and killed Ms. Abu Akleh. However, there is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire,” the IDF said.

“After a comprehensive examination of the incident, and based on all the findings presented, the Military Advocate General determined that under the circumstances of the incident, despite the dire result -- the death of Ms. Abu Akleh and Mr. Samudi's injury -- there was no suspicion of a criminal offense that warrants the opening of an MPCID investigation,” the statement continued.

Al-Jazeera, the news organization that Shireen Abu Akleh worked for, condemned Israel’s role in her death, and has called for an independent inquiry behind the killing.

“The network calls for an independent international party to investigate the crime of the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, in order to accomplish justice for Shireen, her family and fellow journalists around the world,” they said in a statement.