Israeli sniper who killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh identified
4 Min Read
A new documentary sheds light on the long-shielded identity of the Israeli soldier linked to the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
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Israeli police attack mourners as they carry the casket of killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during her funeral in occupied al-Quds, Friday, May 13, 2022 (AP)
Nearly three years after the killing of celebrated Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a new documentary has identified the Israeli soldier believed to be responsible, corroborating earlier findings by The New York Times and breaking through the wall of military silence that has long obscured accountability in the case.
Abu Akleh was fatally shot in May 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
On May 11, 2022, Israeli occupation forces shot dead #Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while she was covering an Israeli raid in the occupied #WestBank town of #Jenin. #Palestine #ShireenAbuAkleh pic.twitter.com/6oKH4oSxQU
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 11, 2023
Despite early claims from Israeli officials that she may have been caught in crossfire from Palestinian Resistance fighters, independent investigations, including one by The New York Times, found no evidence of armed Palestinians near her at the time. Months later, the Israeli military reluctantly admitted she was “most likely” shot by one of its own soldiers, though it refused to name the individual.
That silence has now been broken by Zeteo News, a progressive US-based outlet, which named Captain Alon Scagio, then a 20-year-old sniper in an elite commando unit, as the Israeli soldier who fired the fatal shot, citing another soldier from his squad. Two Israeli military officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, confirmed the accuracy of the identification to The New York Times.
Israeli sniper deliberately shot Abu Akleh
When asked for comment, the Israeli military claimed that it had reached “no definitive determination regarding the identity of the individual responsible for the shooting.” However, it passed along a request from Scagio’s family urging media outlets not to publish his name.
According to a biography posted by the Israeli Security Ministry, Scagio served in the West Bank throughout 2022 and later in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli genocide.
He was killed in Jenin in June 2024, at age 22, when his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb.
The Zeteo investigation, led by former Wall Street Journal correspondent Dion Nissenbaum and journalist Fatima AbdulKarim, concludes that Scagio fired the bullet that killed Abu Akleh, despite her clearly marked “PRESS” vest and helmet. She was walking with other journalists toward a small convoy of Israeli military vehicles when she was shot.
The Times investigation in 2022 had already pointed to an Israeli sniper positioned near the convoy as the likely source of the gunfire.
US report on Abu Akleh killing was softened to shield 'Israel', source says
Abu Akleh’s killing prompted outcry across the globe, amplified by disturbing scenes from her funeral, where Israeli police beat mourners carrying her coffin, causing it to nearly fall.
Watch | The Israeli occupation brutally assaults the crowds at #ShireenAbuAkleh's funeral.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/TKTfwgLBLk
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 13, 2022
The Zeteo documentary underscores that US officials privately concluded Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted, a revelation one unnamed source described as based on early assessments indicating an intentional killing, until the final US report was allegedly watered down to avoid provoking "Israel|".
A senior American official rejected that account, claiming “its conclusions were never altered” and no draft had ever found that she was deliberately shot. The official alleged, as per the report, that US investigators were unable to assess the soldier’s field of vision, since they were not permitted to examine the scene from within an Israeli military vehicle.
The US State Department’s Office of the Security Coordinator, which led the investigation, declined to comment, according to the report.
While the Israeli government has continued to reject calls for criminal accountability, the documentary may reignite global demands for justice and deepen scrutiny of how both "Israel" and its allies have handled one of the most emblematic journalist killings in recent memory.
