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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the killing of a Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Aqleh, who was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank.
“Pakistan calls upon the international community to take urgent action to put an end to the Israeli occupation, which continues to fuel conflict, tension and instability in the region, and remains a matter of grave concern for the entire Muslim world,” said the Foreign Office Spokesperson in a statement.
“The Israeli attempts to silence the voices of those who continued to expose the Israeli violations would not succeed rather reveal the continued brutality of the occupation forces.”
The statement said the Government of Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people and Government of the State of Palestine in their just demand for basic rights and dignity.
“We reaffirm our consistent and unstinted support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, which has always been a defining principle of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” it was further added.
The spokesperson said the Government and people of Pakistan extended deepest condolences to the family of Shireen Abu Aqleh.
Journalist shot dead
Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was killed by Israeli troops on Wednesday as she covered a raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
The Doha-based Al Jazeera said its journalist had been shot dead “deliberately” and “in cold blood” by Israeli troops. Abu Aqleh, 51, a Palestinian Christian, was a prominent figure in the channel’s Arabic news service.
The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted an operation in Jenin refugee camp early Wednesday, but denied it had deliberately targeted a reporter.
A statement from Al Jazeera said: “In a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms, the Israeli occupation forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Palestine.”
It called on the international community to hold the Israeli occupation forces accountable for their “intentional targeting and killing” of the journalist. Another Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al-Samudi, was wounded in the incident.
The fatal shooting comes nearly a year after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a Gaza building that housed the offices of Al Jazeera and news agency AP.