A recently released documentary titled Who Killed Shireen?, produced by the Washington, DC-based media company Zeteo, has brought to light internal assessments within the Biden administration suggesting that the 2022 killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces was likely intentional.

The 40-minute investigative film, released on May 8, 2025, just ahead of the third anniversary of Abu Akleh’s death, delves into the circumstances surrounding her killing and the subsequent responses from both the Israeli government and the United States. Abu Akleh was fatally shot on May 11, 2022, while reporting from the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. She was wearing a helmet and a blue vest clearly labeled “press” at the time.

The documentary features interviews with former U.S. officials, including an anonymous Biden administration insider who claims that evidence available to the administration indicated that Abu Akleh’s death was “an intentional killing.” This assessment was based on the “visual capabilities of that day” and the distance between the Israeli snipers and the journalists who were shot.

Despite these internal assessments, the Biden administration publicly described the shooting as “the result of tragic circumstances” and called for accountability only in the form of a review of Israel’s “rules of engagement.” This marked a shift from earlier calls for an “independent, credible investigation” and for the killer to be “prosecuted.”

The film also identifies the Israeli soldier allegedly responsible for Abu Akleh’s death as Alon Scagio, a member of the Duvdevan unit of the Israeli special forces. Scagio was reportedly promoted after the incident and later killed in combat in Jenin in June 2024. The Israel Defense Forces criticized the film for naming the soldier without the family’s consent and insisted that no definitive findings had been made regarding responsibility for the shooting.

The documentary’s revelations have reignited calls for accountability and transparency in the case of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing. Advocates for press freedom and human rights continue to urge for an independent investigation to ensure justice is served.

Source; Al Jazeera