Seeking Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh: Was It Served?
Episode 19 • 18th May 2025 • Beneath the Cypress and Star • BlueRidge Pundit
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Summary

Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist killed while reporting in Jenin in May 2022, is at the center of this episode’s examination of evidence, disputed accounts, and accountability. Drawing on reporting published in May 2025, we discuss the documentary Who Killed Shireen?, the official response, and the family’s continuing demand for justice for Shireen Abu Akleh. The question is what an investigation must establish, and what meaningful justice would require.

Key Takeaway

  • The documentary’s identification of an alleged shooter is an investigative claim, not a criminal conviction.
  • The Shireen Abu Akleh investigation involves separate questions about the source of the gunfire, intent, and responsibility.
  • The family’s calls for accountability extend beyond identifying one person.
  • Press freedom depends on journalists being able to report safely and on credible investigations when they are killed.

What the Documentary Adds

The Committee to Protect Journalists’ account of the documentary explains that Zeteo’s film names Alon Scagio as the soldier it alleges fired the fatal shot. The film also reports that he died in Jenin in 2024. These are attributed findings from the documentary; naming a suspect and establishing criminal responsibility are different steps.

The episode considers how journalists evaluate testimony, anonymous sources, and official responses. Listeners should ask which claims are corroborated, which are disputed, and what evidence is publicly available. This approach also informs our wider coverage of global instability and the scrutiny of powerful institutions.

Official Findings and Unresolved Questions

In its September 2022 statement, the Israel Defense Forces said Israeli gunfire was a likely cause but described the shooting as accidental and said it could not determine the source unequivocally. That official account must be distinguished from the documentary’s allegations and the family’s rejection of the investigation.

As discussed in the episode’s May 2025 reporting, the FBI inquiry had not produced a publicly resolved outcome. This episode examines that historical reporting window; it does not present those investigation statuses as a current case update.

Justice, the Family, and Press Freedom

In a Vatican News interview with Anton Abu Akleh, the journalist’s brother describes the family’s distrust of the Israeli inquiry and their hope that the US investigation will identify and hold those responsible to account. For the family, justice for Shireen Abu Akleh cannot be reduced to the reported death of a person accused in a film.

Scottish Legal News reports renewed calls from journalist organizations for an International Criminal Court investigation. Their demands concern both this killing and the wider protection of journalists. Calls for an investigation do not, by themselves, establish a judicial finding.

The broader human consequences of conflict also appear in our episodes on the disputed Gaza humanitarian aid plan and breakdancing and creative expression for young people in Gaza. Each approaches a different part of civilian life, while this episode centers on journalism and press freedom.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Who was Shireen Abu Akleh?

She was a Palestinian-American journalist for Al Jazeera, known for reporting on Palestinian life and the West Bank. She was killed while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin on May 11, 2022.

Q2: What does the documentary claim?

Who Killed Shireen? identifies an alleged shooter and examines the handling of the case. Its allegations should be read alongside the evidence it presents and the responses of the institutions concerned.

Q3: What did the Israeli military conclude?

Its September 2022 statement described Israeli fire as a likely cause, characterized the death as accidental, and said the source could not be established unequivocally.

Q4: Was justice served by the alleged shooter’s reported death?

The episode questions that premise. A death in a later military operation is not a trial, a public finding of responsibility, or an explanation of institutional decisions.

Q5: Why does this case matter for press freedom?

It raises questions about reporters’ safety, access to evidence, and whether institutions credibly investigate harm to journalists. The consequences reach audiences who depend on firsthand reporting.

Related Episodes

Sources & Further Reading

Transcripts

1

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2: Yeah, it's tough.

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1: Well, that's what we're doing today. We're taking a deep dive into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, a hugely respected Palestinian-American journalist for Al Jazeera. Her death back in 2022, she was covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin. It just sent shockwaves, you know. And right away, huge debate.

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2: Oh, immediately.

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1: The initial accounts were all over the place. Exactly. First, Israeli sources were kind of suggesting maybe Palestinian militants fired the shot. Right. But then that got walked back. They acknowledged, OK, probably an Israeli soldier. But they never actually named anyone publicly. Yeah. Not the Israeli military, anyway.

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2: And what's really striking is how the story just hasn't gone away. People keep demanding answers, demanding accountability. Yeah. All that initial confusion and the different investigations. It's just left so many questions hanging. So our goal here, really, is to unpack some of the things that we've been talking about. Some quite significant new information that's surfaced. Absolutely.

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1: There's this new documentary, Who Killed Shireen? And it makes some, well, very specific claims. It names the alleged shooter, asks big questions about how thorough, how transparent the official investigations really were. Yeah. So our mission, if you like, is to dissect what this documentary is claiming, look at the reactions, and we're pulling from a whole range of sources here.

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2: It's quite a list.

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1: It is. We've got the New York Times reporting analysis from the Committee to Protect Journalists, a really powerful piece from a journalist who was right there when Shireen was shot. It was on MonDevice. Then articles from Zeteo News itself, that's the outlet behind the documentary, including one by the producer. Scottish Legal News talking about calls for an ICC investigation. CNN business on implications there. NPR had an interview with a producer.

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2: Right, Dion Nissenbaum.

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1: Vatican News spoke with Shireen's brother, Britannica, for background. And another opinion. And another opinion piece from the documentary producer in The Guardian. So quite a bit to dig into. Okay, so let's start right at the heart of it. What is this documentary actually claiming? What's the main revelation?

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2: Well, the big one, the headline grabber, is that who killed Shireen identifies the specific Israeli soldier, they say, fired the shot. Okay. They name him as Captain Alon Skagio. He was reportedly just 20 years old at the time, a marksman in an elite Israeli commando unit called Duvdevan,

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1: Duvdevan, right.

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2: And the source for this identification, according to the film, is another soldier who was in Captain Skagio's own squad. Wow.

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1: Okay. From within the unit itself. Exactly.

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2: And to add another layer, The New York Times reported that they spoke to two anonymous Israeli military officials who independently confirmed the documentary's conclusion about who it was.

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1: So confirmation from military sources, albeit anonymous ones. Right.

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2: And Duvdevan, just for context, is a special forces unit. They're known for operating inside the West Bank.

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1: Naming someone who was in the military unit. Naming someone specifically after all this time. Yeah. That feels like a major step. And the documentary also brings up the U.S. government's role, right? Yeah. Their initial assessment.

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2: Yes, that's another crucial part. The documentary alleges that an initial U.S. review actually concluded Shireen Abu Akleh's killing was intentional.

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1: Intentional? On what grounds?

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2: Well, the film argues it was because she was so clearly marked as press, you know, the blue vest press written large on it, identifiable. Right. And the documentary claims that this initial finding, this assessment of intentionality, was then, well, softened by the Biden administration later on. Softened?

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1: How so? And why would they allegedly do that?

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2: The suggestion in the documentary is that the administration basically revised that initial finding, that it was intentional to something less definitive and the reported reason to avoid, you know, upsetting Israel or straining that relationship. Okay. And there's more. The film brings up something pretty disturbing that happened after the shooting. Oh. It alleges that soldiers in Oh. It alleges that soldiers in Captain Scoggio's unit actually used a photo of Shireen Abu Akleh for target practice. This was apparently after Scoggio had been transferred out.

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1: Target practice using her photo. Yes.

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2: It was described reportedly as revenge because they felt his reputation had been damaged by the incident. And this detail supposedly came from a friend of Scoggio's who was still in the unit.

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1: That's that's deeply unsettling. Okay. Turning to the official side. What has the Israeli military actually done? What has the Israeli military actually said about these very specific claims in the documentary?

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2: Well, the New York Times asked them directly about the documentary's findings. The IDF's response was that they have made, and I quote, no definitive determination regarding the identity of the individual responsible for the shooting.

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1: No definitive determination. Right.

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2: They also passed on a request from the Scoggio family asking journalists not to publish his name, which, you know, is consistent with their stance all along. They haven't named anyone in their official statements before this either.

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1: I remember that initial. That initial period of uncertainty. But didn't the Israeli military eventually put out their own investigation findings?

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2: Yes, they did. About four months after she was killed, the IDF released its conclusions. They said it was highly likely she was killed by Israeli fire.

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1: Highly likely. Okay.

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2: But and this is key. They put it down to misidentification. They claimed the soldier mistook her for a militant.

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1: Despite the press.

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2: Despite the press fest. And importantly, no criminal charges were filed against anyone in the military because of this investigation. They also claimed at the time that there were no Palestinian militants within about 100 meters of her when she was shot. Okay.

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1: And Captain Scoggio, the man named in the documentary, where did he fit into that initial IDF investigation?

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2: So after their investigation concluded, the Israeli military reportedly transferred Captain Scoggio. He went to another elite sniper team, but in a different unit.

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1: A transfer not disciplinary action. Correct.

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2: And this transfer, as the documentary suggests, was a transfer. And this transfer, as the documentary suggests, was apparently viewed negatively by some in his original unit, which allegedly led to that whole target practice incident we mentioned. Right. Now, fast forward to the documentary coming out and maiming Scoggio. The IDF statement seems to shift slightly again. They reiterate, there is no definitive determination regarding the identity of the individual responsible.

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1: Which sounds like they're even backing away from their own highly likely conclusion from before.

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2: It does seem like a step back. Yes. Yes. Less definitive than even their own previous findings, which already concluded. Yes. It was likely IDF fire, just accidental.

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1: So, yeah, a narrative that keeps evolving, to put it mildly. What about the U.S. government? Shreen Abu Akli was an American citizen. They must have been heavily involved.

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2: Oh, absolutely. Right from the start, the Biden administration called for a rigorous Israeli investigation, specifically because she was a U.S. citizen. Eventually, the U.S. State Department came out with its own conclusion. They said, yes, Israeli fire likely killed her. But, and here's the contentious part, they found, they found no reason to believe she was intentionally targeted.

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1: OK, so they landed on likely, but not intentional. Yeah. But the documentary directly challenges that, doesn't it?

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2: It does head on. Like we said, the film features this anonymous Biden administration official claiming the initial U.S. assessment after visiting the scene was that she was deliberately targeted. And this official alleges that finding got changed in the final report specifically to avoid diplomatic problems with Israel.

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1: But is that the only account from the U.S. side?

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2: No, it's disputed. The New York Times also spoke to a senior U.S. official who had direct knowledge of the report. This official flatly denied the claim, said the conclusions were never changed. No draft ever said it was intentional.

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1: So conflicting accounts from within the U.S. government itself. Exactly.

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2: And this senior official also pointed out that the American team that went to the site, well, they couldn't actually determine for sure what the shooter's line of sight was or what their intent might have been. It was inconclusive from their perspective. On the ground.

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1: OK, so internal disagreement or these differing recollections there. And wasn't there also an FBI investigation launched? What happened with that?

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2: Yes, the FBI did open its own investigation into her killing. But the Israeli government immediately said very publicly that they would not cooperate with the FBI probe.

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1: No cooperation.

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2: No. And as things stand now, what, about 30 months later, that FBI investigation is still unresolved. No public outcome.

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1: Let's bring in some voices from. People who are, you know, directly impacted. Henaisha, the journalist who was standing right next to Shereen when she was shot. She shared some really powerful thoughts.

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2: Yeah, her perspective is just vital. It cuts through the official statements. She raises this really deep question about Captain Scaggio's death. He was later killed, as we'll discuss. She asks, you know, does his death actually count as justice for Shereen?

56

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1: And her reasoning.

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2: Her point is that he was never held accountable while he was alive. His transfer, she suggests. Could even be seen as a way to shield him from proper questioning or consequences. So his death later in the conflict feels more like just another casualty of the ongoing violence, not a specific reckoning for Shereen's killing.

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1: That's a really crucial distinction she's making between, I guess, consequence and actual justice.

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2: Precisely. And Shatha Henaisha also points to the wider picture for journalists there. Well, she highlights the ongoing risks for Palestinian journalists in the West Bank. She mentions two other journalists who were there that day. With Shereen Ali El-Samoudi, who was also wounded. Right.

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1: He was injured.

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2: And Mujahid El-Sawadi. Both of them were later placed in administrative detention by Israel. That's imprisonment without charge or trial. So it underlines this pattern, this environment of risk that goes way beyond just Shereen's tragic case.

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1: And Shereen's brother, Anton. What's been his take on the documentary and the whole situation?

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2: Anton Abu Akleh basically repeats the family's complete lack of faith. And any Israeli investigation, he says, flat out, they don't trust them. He says their hope for any kind of real accountability now lies with that U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI investigation, even though it's taken so long and produced nothing public yet.

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1: And did he comment on specific claims in the documentary?

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2: Yes. He specifically mentioned that claim about soldiers using Shereen's photo for target practice. He highlighted that as just showing profound disrespect, a complete lack of remorse, as he sees it, from those involved.

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1: Understandable. This whole case must have really resonated with journalist groups and press freedom advocates. What's the view from, say, the Committee to Protect Journalists?

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2: Yeah. The CPJ has really emphasized how this fits into a long-term pattern. A failure, basically, to get accountability when journalists are killed by the Israeli military.

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1: A pattern.

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2: They point out that over the last 20-odd years, at least 20 journalists have been killed by the IDF. And this case, where the documentary actually names a potential suspect, is, well, it's the first time that's happened in any of those cases involving the IDF killing a journalist.

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1: The first time a name has been put forward publicly like this.

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2: Right. Even though it's not an official identification from Israel, it's still significant in that context.

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1: So potentially a shift, maybe, in just getting information out there. Yeah. But the CPJ is also worried about the general danger level for journalists.

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2: Very much so. They argue that Shereen's killing has definitely contributed to this perception that Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories are just getting killed. more and more dangerous for the press. In fact, CPJ now ranks Israel among the most dangerous places globally for journalists. And that's obviously been massively compounded by the

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1: huge number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023. Yeah, numbers there are staggering.

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2: They are. And adding to the concern, there was that statement from an Israeli military spokesperson suggesting that even wearing a press vest, well, it doesn't actually guarantee your safety anymore.

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1: Which is chilling, especially when you think back to all those independent investigations that looked into Shireen's death. They all seem to contradict Israel's initial story

77

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2: about a firefight, didn't they? Absolutely. You had the New York Times, AP, Washington Post, Bellingcat, CNN. They all did separate investigations. And every single one concluded there were no militants, no active firefight happening right near Shireen when she was shot. Directly refuting that initial IDF claim. Directly refuting it. And all of this, the killing itself. The investigations, the lack of accountability. It's led to calls from big international

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1: journalist groups like the NUJ and the IFJ. Calls for what?

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2: For the International Criminal Court, the ICC, to step in, to investigate Shireen's killing as a potential war crime, and also to look at what they call a systematic targeting of journalists in Palestine more broadly. In fact, a formal complaint about this was filed with the ICC

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1: back in April 2022. So pushing for investigation to the highest international level. Exactly.

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2: The ICC is the body that investigates individuals for the most serious international crimes, like war crimes.

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1: Okay. One final crucial piece. The fate of the alleged shooter himself, Captain Alon Skagio. What happened to him?

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2: Well, as the documentary revealed and other reports confirmed, Captain Alon Skagio died. He was killed in Jenin in June 2024.

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1: Killed in Jenin? How?

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2: Reportedly by a roadside bomb, an explosive device. And interestingly, his obituary mentioned that he died while he was trying to rescue injured people. During an operation.

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1: So he died in the line of duty, according to the obituary, but in the same area where Shireen was killed.

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2: Yes. Which just adds another really complex layer to everything, doesn't it? Given the serious allegations against him and Shireen's death.

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1: It really does. So let's try and pull these threads together. We have the documentary pointing the finger at a specific soldier, Captain Skagio, and suggesting the U.S. initially thought it was intentional, but then backed off. Right. Then you have the Israeli military with its, well, evolving story. First, maybe, Palestinian fire. Then, highly likely Israeli fire, but accidental misidentification. And now, after the dock, basically saying we haven't definitively identified anyone.

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2: A shifting position, yeah.

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1: And the U.S. government called for an investigation, but officially concluded it was likely Israeli fire, but not intentional. A conclusion that sources cited in the documentary dispute. It's just incredibly tangled.

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2: It's a maze of claims, counterclaims, official statements, anonymous sources. And for you, listening and trying to get that. Clear understanding. This deep dive really underscores just how ambiguous it all remains. There are still no definitive, universally accepted answers, even with this new documentary naming someone.

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1: Which really brings us to a tough final thought, doesn't it? You have all these investigations. You have a named potential shooter who's now dead herself. So what does real accountability, what does justice even look like in this situation? Not just for Shireen Abu Akleh, profoundly important as that is, but for all journalists, who are putting themselves at risk in conflict zones around the world. What's the responsibility here? For international bodies like the ICC, for individual countries? How do you pursue justice when the picture is this messy?

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2: It's a huge question, and one that definitely sticks with you long after you stop listening.

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