US officials said Monday that the forensic investigation into the bullet that is said to have killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh did not yield absolute determination as it was too badly damaged.
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They said the bullet was likely fired from an Israeli position, but there was "no reason to believe" Abu Akleh was deliberately targeted.
State Department spokesman Ned Price, announcing the results of the probe, said "independent, third-party examiners" had undertaken an "extremely detailed forensic analysis" of the bullet.
The US "found no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian Islamic Jihad," he said.
The results, announced ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to the region next week, were unlikely to lay the matter to rest. The PA insisted that Israel was to blame, while Israel said Abu Akleh was caught in the crossfire of a battle with Palestinian terrorists in Jenin, a known Islamic Jihad stronghold.
The IDF said that while the bullet remained in the custody of US officials throughout the process, it was examined by Israeli experts in a forensic laboratory in Israel.
Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, the army chief of staff, ordered the investigation be continued "using all available means," the military said in a statement. It said any decision on whether to launch a criminal investigation would only be made after the operational investigation is completed.
According to Prime Minister Yair Lapid, "the IDF investigation was unable to determine who is responsible for the tragic death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh."
"The IDF's operational activity to eradicate terrorism will continue wherever necessary," he vowed. "As the Israeli prime minister, I give full and unequivocal backing to troops who are risking their lives to protect our citizens from terrorism."
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "The first to bear responsibility in such events are the terrorists who operate from within civilian areas."
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