Who Killed Shireen? also lifts lid on US attempts to stifle truth about the 2022 killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist.

Filmmakers behind a new documentary on the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces say they have uncovered the identity of the soldier who pulled the trigger.

Who Killed Shireen?, a 40-minute investigative documentary released on Thursday by Washington, DC-based media company Zeteo, identifies the killer as a 20-year-old Israeli soldier who was on his first combat tour in the occupied West Bank and lifts the lid on attempts by the United States to avoid holding ally Israel accountable for the murder.

Dion Nissenbaum, the executive producer of the documentary, told Al Jazeera that its makers had set out to uncover exactly who was behind the killing – a secret closely guarded by Israel up to now, according to Zeteo – and that they hoped the findings would lead to further investigations by the US.

The administration of former US President Joe Biden had “concluded early on that an Israeli soldier had intentionally targeted her, but that conclusion was overruled internally”, he said.

“We found some concerning evidence that both Israel and the Biden administration had covered up Shireen’s killing and allowed the soldier to get away without any accountability,” he added.

Anton Abu Akleh, Shireen’s brother, said the documentary was “really important” for her family. “I’m sure it will shed more light and prove that she was systematically targeted like other journalists in Palestine by the Israeli army,” he said.

The documentary features exclusive interviews not just with ex-US officials but also former top Israeli officials and soldiers, as well as journalists who knew Shireen personally.

“We hope that people will be reminded of what an icon Shireen was,” said Nissenbaum.

In ‘cold blood’

Abu Akleh was wearing a helmet and a clearly marked press vest when she was killed while covering an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp on May 11, 2022, an act that the Al Jazeera Media Network condemned as a “cold-blooded assassination”.

Investigations into her killing carried out by news agencies, rights groups and the United Nations have all concluded that Abu Akleh was killed – likely deliberately – by Israeli soldiers.

Israel initially tried to deflect blame for the incident and suggested that Palestinian fighters killed the journalist, but it eventually walked back that claim and acknowledged its troops were responsible for her death, saying it was “an accident”.

A year later, Israel’s military said it was “deeply sorry” for the death of Abu Akleh, but said it would not launch criminal proceedings against the soldiers believed to be behind the killing.

The US dropped its request for an Israeli criminal investigation after Israel’s apology.

Abu Akleh’s death shocked the world and focused an international spotlight on Israeli killings of Palestinian journalists.

Reporters Without Borders said on Friday that Israeli forces killed nearly 200 journalists in the first 18 months of Israel’s all-out assault on Gaza, at least 42 of whom were slain while doing their job.

Trump administration wants Israel ‘to come to its senses’ and strike a ceasefire deal on Gaza, Israeli media reports.

A senior United States official has reportedly warned that Washington could move forward with its deal with Saudi Arabia without Israeli involvement, unless Israel changes course, according to Israeli media.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the unnamed official met on Monday with families of captives still held in Gaza. During the meeting, the official said President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated with Israel’s stance on the stalled ceasefire talks.

Trump intends to press ahead with the Saudi deal regardless of Israel’s position, said the report on Wednesday.

The US president is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Washington is lobbying the White House to add a brief stop in Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the US official told attendees Israel could face “a much heavier price” if it continues to oppose a ceasefire deal.

“President Trump is determined to move forward with a significant deal with Saudi Arabia, even without Israeli involvement,” the official reportedly said. “The ceasefire agreement with the Houthis is just a prelude. If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, even the ‘Deal of the Millennium’ will happen without it.”

The report said families of the captives hoped the meeting would result in greater international pressure on Israeli leaders to act. Some attendees said they were alarmed by the unusually blunt tone from the official as Washington has long been viewed as Israel’s closest diplomatic ally.

The Trump administration has sought to realign regional alliances, focusing on normalising ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. “We hope Israel will board the historic train that has already left the station,” the US official reportedly said. “But the US will not wait at the platform.”

The official also echoed concerns from the families that ongoing Israeli military operations could endanger the captives.

What is the proposed US-Saudi-Israel deal?

The proposed US-Saudi Arabia-Israel deal aims to normalise ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv in what would mark a historic diplomatic shift, brokered by Washington.

Building on the controversial 2020 Abraham Accords, the agreement would see Saudi Arabia formally recognise Israel – abandoning its long-held demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory as outlined in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

In return, the US would offer Saudi Arabia a defence pact and access to advanced weapons, while urging Riyadh to scale back its growing ties with China and Russia.

Another pillar of the deal includes US support for a Saudi civil nuclear programme, though disagreements over uranium enrichment remain unresolved.

While Saudi Arabia originally insisted on concrete steps towards a two-state solution for Palestinians, recent reports suggest Riyadh may settle for symbolic concessions – such as freezing settlement expansion – if the US offers enough in return.

PodcastPodcast, The Take

Israel bombed Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port after Houthi missiles hit near Tel Aviv, prompting fears of wider war.

Israel bombed Yemen’s Sanaa airport and the Hodeidah port within 24 hours, as tensions have been escalating in response to Israel’s war on Gaza. On Sunday, the Houthis launched missiles that landed near Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. What does it mean for Yemenis facing this escalation?

In this episode:

Maysaa Shuja al-Deen (@maysaashujaa), Yemeni writer and researcher

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Sonia Bhagat, and Sarí el-Khalili with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Khaled Soltan, Kisaa Zehra, Kingwell Ma, Remas Alhawari, Mariana Navarette and our guest host, Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube