Al Jazeera files petition with ICC over killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
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The Hague: According to the television network Al Jazeera, Israeli forces killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose case was submitted to the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The Palestinian-American was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army raid in Jenin, according to the Qatar-based channel, which claimed to have "unearthed new evidence" regarding the incident.
Any individual or organisation may submit a complaint to the ICC prosecutor for review, but the Hague-based court is not required to take such complaints.
According to Al Jazeera, its submission noted: "new witness evidence and video footage (that) clearly show that Shireen and her colleagues were directly fired at by the Israeli Occupation Forces."
"The claim by the Israeli authorities that Shireen was killed by mistake in an exchange of fire is completely unfounded," the channel said.
An AFP reporter witnessed an attorney for Al Jazeera's case entering the ICC's headquarters to deliver their submission.
War crimes in the Palestinian territories were the subject of an ICC investigation last year, but Israel, which is not a member of the court, questions its jurisdiction.
Israel declared it will not participate with any independent investigation into the death of Abu Akleh.
"No one will investigate IDF (Israeli military) soldiers and no one will preach to us about morals in warfare, certainly not Al Jazeera," Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement, AFP reported.
The senior journalist, a Christian, was shot in the head in the Jenin refugee camp, a significant flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while wearing a bulletproof vest with the word "Press" and a helmet.
The ICC prosecutor freely chooses which cases to present to the court's judges after receiving complaints from people or organisations.
Judges make the decision to authorise the prosecutor to conduct a preliminary inquiry, which may be followed by a formal investigation and, if necessary, charges.
According to the ICC, such accusations typically don't result in investigations.