Israeli army says it will not open criminal probe into journalist's killing: Report

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army on Thursday said it will not open a criminal investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

"There was no need to open a Military Police investigation at this stage," the Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli military statement as saying.

The statement cited "no real suspicion of a criminal act" in Abu Akleh's killing, adding that the army's interim investigation could not determine whether she was killed by Israeli or Palestinian gunfire.

On May 11, Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when she was shot dead. Palestinian officials and her employer, Al Jazeera, said she was killed by Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed the decision, and held Israel fully responsible for the killing.

Many governments, rights groups, and press bodies have sought a transparent probe into the veteran Palestinian journalist's killing.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara