JENIN: Calls mounted on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead as she covered an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank.
The Qatar-based TV channel charged that Israeli forces deliberately and "in cold blood" shot Abu Akleh, 51, in the head during the unrest in the Jenin refugee camp.
Another Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al Samudi, was wounded in the incident in which both wore helmets and vests marked "Press".
The European Union urged an "independent" investigation into her death, while the United States' envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called for the killing to be "transparently investigated."
Asked about Israel's openness to an international investigation, army spokesman Amnon Shefler said the military's internal investigative systems were "robust" and that it would conduct its own probe.
Shefler told reporters that Israel "would never deliberately target non-combatants," calling Abu Akleh's death "a tragedy that should not have occurred."
Israel has however publicly offered to participate in a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority. There were no immediate indications on whether the PA would agree to a joint probe.
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