Al Jazeera denounces Israel's Shireen Abu Akleh probe, says army 'evading criminal responsibility'
Al JazeeraÌýon Monday dismissed the results of an into the killing of its reporter , calling it an attempt by the Israeli army to "evade criminal responsibility" for her death.
Abu Akleh, a veteranÌýjournalist, was Ìýwhile reporting on an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in Jenin on 11ÌýMay.
In its on the killing,Ìýthe Israeli army said Monday for the first time said that Abu Akleh had likely been shot by one of its officers –Ìýbut "accidentally".
The said in a statement thatÌýthe findings were an "elusive admission" and that the Israeli army was trying "to evade the criminal responsibility for the killing of Shireen, which has been proven by numerous independent and international investigations".
"Al Jazeera condemns the Israeli Occupation Forces’ reluctance to explicitly admit their crime and attempts to evade the prosecution of the perpetrators,"Ìýthe statement read.
The network called for an "independent international body" to investigate the assassination.
The Israeli army probe results were also slammed by Abu Akleh's family.
"We could never expect any type of accountability or legitimate investigation from the very entity responsible for gunning down an unarmed and clearly identifiable journalist," the slain reporter's niece, Lina Abu Akleh, said on Twitter.
Abu Akleh Family Response to Israel’s Statement on Shireen’s Killing
— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh)
We could never expect any type of accountability or legitimate investigation from the very entity responsible for gunning down an unarmed and clearly identifiable journalist.
Abu Akleh was shot despite wearing a helmet and aÌýflak jacket clearly identifying her as a member of the press.
Investigations by leading human rights groups and media organisations including Al Jazeera have backed up eyewitness accounts thatÌýAbu Akleh was shot by Israeli forces.
Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority say they have referred Abu Akleh's killing to the International Criminal Court.
The US State Department, whose own investigation into the incident found that the dual US-Palestinian citizenÌýwas killedÌý"unintentionally" by an Israeli bullet, on Monday welcomed the results of the Israeli probe.
"We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future," the State Department .