Forensic technical analysis of the murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

ByJohn Minto

Yousef Jamal Al-Rantisi, a forensic expert with the Gaza Centre for Human Rights has presented the following assessment of last week’s murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh based on evidence available so far. (This is in contrast to Israel’s “magic bullet” scenario whereby a bullet from Palestinian resistance fighters travelled for 500 metres, did three right angle turns and with a final 40 degree swerve hit the journalist)

Forensic Technical Analysis of the Murder of the Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

Presented by Forensic Expert, Yousef Jamal Al-Rantisi.

In relation to the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, the following evidence was examined and analysed:

  • available images of the crime scene,
  • the Autopsy Report of the victim that was issued by Palestinian Forensic Medicine,
  • witness reports, including from attending medical personnel,
  • location of the resistance fighters at the time of the killing, and
  • all the possibilities and angles of the shooting of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.

 

  1. Autopsy Report.The results of the initial forensic medicine report indicate that the direct cause of death was brain damage caused by a high-velocity bullet. The bullet penetrated the skull cavity causing an entry wound and then exited from the cavity causing another wound. Following that, the bullet hit the internal side of the protective helmet, ricocheted and lodged in the damaged tissues inside the skull.
  2. The bullet was extracted and referred to the forensic laboratory for detailed analysis and a technical report.
  3. Crime Scene By analyzing the available photographs of the crime scene, it was found that the trajectory of the bullet that killed the journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh could only have originated from where the Israeli forces raiding Jenin were positioned.
  4. Concerning the claim that the bullet may have been fired from the resistance fighters.  After analyzing the location of where the resistance fighters were located and where the crime took place, it was found:
    1. that it is impossible for the resistance fighters’ bullets to reach the location where Shireen was,
    2. the trajectory and angle of the bullet shows it cannot have originated from where the resistance fighters were located,
    3. The presence of fixed and high barriers prevents a clear and direct line of sight from where the resistance fighters were located,
    4. Concrete buildings between the Palestinian resistance and the place where the Shireen Abu Aqleh was killed, make it impossible for a bullet to penetrate these, then continue on to hit and kill the victim,
    5. There were no other persons in the area, which was effectively under Israeli military control, that could have fired the fatal shot.
  5. The effective lethal range of weapons that use 5.56 mm caliber ammunition is approximately 400 meters. From the analysis of the nature and severity of the victim’s injury, it is clear that the bullet was fired directly from medium range, and this is consistent with the distance between the victim and the Israeli force storming the Jenin camp, which is 150 meters.
  6. Criminal Intent From the analysis of the scene of the crime and the nature and site of the fatal shot, it is concluded that the crime was committed intentionally:
    1. The site of injury in the victim’s body is between the protective jacket and the helmet, just below the ear, a sensitive position vulnerable only to an experienced sniper.
    2. Israeli forces continued to shoot at anyone who tried to rescue her.
    3. Ambulance personnel reported the presence of signs of shooting on the tree next to where the victim was killed, at chest/head height of the human body.

 

Conclusions

 

Analysis of i) the images received from the crime scene, ii) the respective locations of the victim, the Israeli forces and the Palestinian resistance fighters, iii) the shooting trajectory as revealed by the Autopsy Report and the crime scene, and iv) the Autopsy Report itself, it is concluded that:

  1. Journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was exposed to a single bullet that penetrated the head, with an entry and an exit, and the bullet returned to the head after exiting because it hit the inner layer of the helmet.
  2. The shooting was not random, but rather focused and precisely directed, and this is confirmed by the convergence of holes in the tree trunk that was next to the body of the victim, Shireen Abu Aqleh.
  3. The perpetrator of the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh is without doubt the Israeli army, given the trajectory of the bullet, the respective locations of the victim, the Israeli soldiers, and the Palestinian resistance, as well as the impossibility of the victim being hit by any other party in a space controlled by the Israeli occupation.

 

Recommendations

  1. The bullet extracted from the victim’s body must be examined and compared with the weapons involved in this crime.
  2. The identity of the shooter must be established,
  3. This procedure requires an international commission of inquiry with the power to force the Israeli occupation to hand over the weapons carried by its soldiers on the day of the crime in Jenin.

 

 

Yousef Jamal Al-Rantisi

Forensic Expert

Gaza Centre for Human Rights

18 May 2022

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21 Comments

  1. Cheers for posting what msm will choose to ignore.
    Confirms what we already knew- israeli mercenaries operating illegally in occupied territory murdered her.

    2. Ha! A non Arab person might also suggest that the holocaust actually happened

      1. Unless you are one of those freaks in the US who believe in Jewish space lasers. There are a number of fringe republican wack jobs, who I would wager are not Arabs, that suggest it didn’t actually happen

      2. It’s a bit late for caring about ‘evidence’ when the facts are mass murder is committed with impunity by the IDF year in year out,,, During the Palestinian demonstrations known as the “Great March of Return and the Breaking of the Siege”,, in 187 of the 189 killings that took place in 2018, protesters did not pose an imminent threat to life and Israel used “neither necessary nor proportional” force.”

        “As a UN Commission of Inquiry put it, Israeli forces shot at “unarmed protesters, children and disabled persons, and at health workers and journalists performing their duties, knowing who they are.”

        ‘rubber bullets and live ammunition, mostly by snipers. resulted in 214 Palestinians, including 46 children, being killed.

        46 children were shot dead by Israel.
        But the most preposterous racist bullshit Israeli propaganda was represented as being true by New Zealands Jewish Council fact fiddlers.,,, Their defence for Israel was more sick and pathetic than anything Jeffry Epstein came up with,,, and for crimes that are worse.

        “Dr David Cumin, sought to blame the victims and said Palestinians engaged in –
        “…violent riots on the border with Israel to which they bring children to use as human shields.”………
        … John Minto was 100% correct to state- “Suggesting Palestinians use their children as human shields and that Arabs hate Jews more than they love their own children is appalling and deplorable racism.

        But David Cumins sick lie which Juliet moses states is true and valid, insults common sense and intelligence to anyone who thinks about it for more than 5 seconds ,,,

        Exhibit A) The Israeli military’s use of 100 snipers against unarmed Palestinian civilian protesters in the Gaza Strip is illegal,”

        The snipers being concentrated opposit the demonstrators, would have been spaced no more than 50 meters apart and probably less ,,, So Mr bad Hamas standing 150 meters in front of their lines would have be a easy target for at least three snipers, with their bullets coming from the left, the center and right ,,

        crossfire is the military term for this fatal position,, “The advantage of siting weapons that mutually support one another is that it is difficult for an attacker to find a covered approach to any one defensive position.

        For Hamas to use anyone ,,, let alone children ,,, as human shields would require a rugby union type ‘rolling maul’, with the whole forward pack,,,, and Mr Hamas packed down low at the rear ,,, to have any chance of successfully ‘human shielding’ from cross-firing snipers.,,,.

        “Israel’s “human shield” propaganda has also been applied on civilian adults. Following international outrage at the slaying of 21-year-old Razan Al-Najjar, who was killed while treating an injured protester, the Israeli army circulated an edited clip entitled “Hamas uses Paramedics as Human Shields”.”
        https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/6/18/the-fallacy-of-israels-human-shields-claims-in-gaza

        As if to prove himself a vile sick liar (what else can you call someone who lies about the shooting of children?), David Cummins stated “fake news”, to the cheers of NZ zionists,, when John Minto challenged him about the endless shootings of civilians captured on film.,,, United Nations Human Rights Council, Lethal force against demonstrators not posing imminent threat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uCj1JTldJI ,,,In their debate that had Cummins stooping to gaby/anne- levels of dishonesty .

        “Fake news” was an endorsement to continue Israels very real killing of children ,,, is Cummins more depraved than epstein ,, https://youtu.be/upaYHd0hTvo?t=673 11mins .10 secs into that link if it does not take you to the spot where Cummins Denies that israel kills children .,, more refuting from a saveNZ link here https://www.cbsnews.com/news/suspected-jewish-extremists-burn-sleeping-palestinian-toddler-to-death-outrage/

        Cummins on Israel ,,,’ no army does more to protect civilians ‘ ,,, and on Palastinians “…violent riots on the border with Israel to which they bring children to use as human shields. The quote of Israel’s first woman Prime Minister sums the situation up beautifully. Golda Meir said: “there can only be peace when the Arabs start to love their children more than they hate us” ”

        Factually It was actually IDF POLICY to use Palestinians and their children as human shields ,,, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinian-israel-children-idUSBRE95J0FR20130620

        “Israeli high court bans military use of Palestinians as human shields”…..

        “The Israeli high court yesterday ruled that the army’s long-standing practice of using Palestinian civilians as human shields in combat is illegal under international law. ” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/oct/07/israel

        “The report exposes a list of incidents in which the IDF violated a High Court of Justice injunction by using Palestinians as human shields (as part of the “neighbor procedure”).” .. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/21/israeli-soldiers-human-shield-avoid-jail

        .. “The injunction remains in force. B’Tselem’s report describes several cases in which the IDF used the “neighbor procedure” after the High Court issued the injunction.” https://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/200211_human_shield

        ***************************************************

        New Zealand can hardly call itself a ‘low corruption’ country if keep engaging and endorsing this shit ,,,

        Martin Luther King jr still speaks the truth
        Now more than ever, it is important that we work against racism, police brutality, poverty, food insecurity, health and mental health disparities, unfair housing practices, violence, mass incarceration, and other injustices. Injustices never rest, and neither can we!

        In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King said:
        “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

        1. With the amount of deceit coming from Israel over their attack on mourners ,,, shows they have one of the most immoral, dishonest and thuggish police forces in the developed world.

          Such blatant and appalling liars ….

          We can see where Cummins and ‘the more loving mother’ Moses get their rancid lines from ….

          I wonder if they are repeating these sick whoppers yet ….

          ..’Israel Tries to Cover Up Attack on Shireen Abu Akleh’s Funeral’ https://youtu.be/-dBm8ytm08I

    3. We know you zionists only want to see lies made up by your coreligionists. We humans are happy to see a great analysis by our fellow humans.

  3. What has the holocaust got to do with assination of a journalist. Are you saying she is a holocaust denier or something?

  4. What has the holocaust got to do with assination of a journalist. Are you saying she is a holocaust denier or something?

  6. Obviously, the zionists don’t care about the facts. We must all realize and accept the facts- Shireen, like hundreds of Palestinians each year, was murdered, for fun. The zionist entity will never punish the perpetrator. The zionist entity is not a nation, it has no legitimacy. Zionism exists to torture, to rape, to kill the innocent, particularly Palestinians, but also Lebanese and Syrians and any decent human being who stands in the way of their desire for total power.

    Nobody will be completely free until Palestine is free from the Jordan to the sea and the Palestinians are made safe from the risk of another zionist invasion forever.

  7. Clearly a human rights criminal who shot this journalist.

    The international community need to stop having different justice/outrage levels depending on where and who assassinates journalists.

    It’s pretty much out of hand now, so it’s open slather on government sanctioned assassinations of journalists in particular.

  8. One of the things about those two is the allegations of others anti-semitism, e.g. John Minto, but when I asked where the evidence was no reply. They don’t want to be involved in the actual conversation at all.

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