Israel say 'high probability' dey say soldier kill reporter

Di Israeli military don conclude say e get "high probability" say one of dia soldiers kill di Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla.

Dem shoot veteran Al Jazeera correspondent for head when she cover one raid for di occupied West Bank for May.

E be closest di military don come to admit responsibility.

Di military top legal officer don also rule out one criminal investigation of di soldiers wey involv, effectively ending di probe into di case.

Abu Aqla family say dey bin "no surprise" say di IDF dey try to hide di truth and avoid responsibility for her killing.

Abu Aqla bin land for Jenin refugee camp on 11 May to report on one Israeli army raid wey bin see gun battles break out between soldiers and Palestinian militants.

She bin wear helmet and blue flak jacket wey dem mark wit di word "press".

Di military account of how she dey killed be one subject of bitter recriminations. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian officials bin report say she dey shot by Israeli troops -one finding wey di United Nations later back and multiple press investigations of di evidence.

One US review also find say e dey "likely" say di Israeli soldiers fire di fatal bullet. Di Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say dem don complete some internal probes.

One senior IDF official tok on Monday say e get high probability say she dey shot "by mistake by one IDF soldier, and of course e no sabi her as journalist".

E also reveal say investigators don tok to di soldier wey involve: "E also tell us wetin e do; and if e do am na by mistake."

"I want emphasise say di fighting environment wey dis soldiers dey under. Dem dey confined for one protected vehicle wit multi-dimensional fire from every direction," di official tok.

However, video evidence from di moment Abu Aqla dey shot no back di claim of militant gunfire for di spot wey journalists and bystanders bin gather.

Di believe be say Israeli troops dey 200m (656ft) away, and di footage show repeated fire for several minutes towards di area where di journalists dey walk.

BBC bin ask about di footage, di senior IDF official say soldiers dey under fire and no see wetin dey happun from inside dia jeep, dem add say dem no fit see di journalists wey gather.

Di lack of criminal investigation go vex Palestinians and go come as further blow to Abu Aqla family.

For response to di IDF announcement dey say: "E dey obvious to anyone say Israeli war criminals no fit investigate dia own crimes. However, we go remain deeply hurt, frustrated, and disappointed."

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups since don criticise di IDF mechanism for internal investigations, argue say dem grants soldiers near total impunity when e come to prosecution for cases of harming Palestinians.

 Di IDF bin dey increase dia search, arrest and correctional home demolition raids for di West Bank afta one wave of attacks wey dey carried out by Palestinians and Arab Israelis on di streets of Israel wey kill 18 pipo. Some of di perpetrators come from Jenin. One Israeli officer dey shot dead for Jenin later for May.

Israeli officials, including then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, bin first claim say Abu Aqla dey probably shot by Palestinian gunmen.

As pressure grow for transparent investigation, di IDF later say di fire from Israeli soldiers be one of two "possibilities" wey account for her death, di oda be fire from Palestinian militants.

Di 51-year-old correspondent dey admired by Palestinians and di wider Arab world for three decades of coverage from di region. Her killing bin gain global attention and become one symbol of di often under-report dangers wey civilians dey face during Israeli military incursions.

Earlier dis year, her family bin call for full accountability, including criminal investigation. Her brother Tony bin tell di BBC for July say she dey "assassinated by extrajudicial killing, and we simply need make dem hold someone accountable".

Questions bin dey quickly raised about di IDF internal probe.

For di hours afta she die, Israeli officials bin publicly circulate speculation wey wrongly suggest say Palestinian gunmen fit don shoot her, including video from Jenin camp from different location to her killing.

Meanwhile, di IDF accuse Palestinian officials say dem dey block one inquiry, wey ask make dem hand over di bullet wey dem say fit determine if dia troops bin fire di fatal shot. Di Palestinians in turn say di Israelis no suppose dey trusted.

One Palestinian Authority inquiry base on one autopsy and dia examination of di bullet find say "di only source of firing be by di [Israeli] occupation forces wit aim to kill".

E bin get plenti calls for di US administration to dey chook mouth.

For May, dozens of Congressional lawmakers bin sign one letter to di FBI and di state department to demand probe by American law enforcement agencies.

Di US state department put pressure on di Palestinians to release di bullet. Dat bin take place for July, but di US administration say forensic analysis wey dey conducted by "independent examiners" fit no reach one definitive conclusion sake of say di bullet dey too badly damaged.

Di US also say review of di Israeli and Palestinian probes by di US security co-ordinator conclude say "gunfire from IDF positions dey likely responsible for di death of Shireen Abu Aqla."

Di US describe her death as di result of "tragic circumstances during one IDF-led military operation", add say dem find "no reason to believe" say di shooting dey intentional.

Her brother tell di BBC say di family bin dey "abandoned" by di US administration when President Joe Biden bin visit di region for July. E urge FBI investigators to travel to investigate her killing.

Di family later meet US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for Washington DC but say di administration bin still no "meaningfully answer" dia call for justice.