These are things we know about Shireen Abu Akleh. We know that she was a dedicated journalist, respected throughout the Middle East and beyond for two decades of dogged reporting in and around the Palestinian territories, often giving a voice to those who felt overlooked, most recently for Al-Jazeera.
We know that on Wednesday she was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest emblazoned with the word “PRESS” as she covered an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.
And we know that before the day was out, the 51-year-old Abu Akleh, an American citizen, would be dead, shot in the head from some distance by an unseen assailant in an area where no active gunbattle seemed to be taking place. Other journalists present, along with the Palestinian authorities, blame Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Israeli officials initially denied that, saying they believe the journalist was shot by Palestinian gunmen, but Thursday shifted, suggesting one of their own may have been culpable.
