Col. Steve Gabavics, a former senior U.S. military police officer, says his superiors suppressed evidence showing Israeli soldiers intentionally shot and killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022. Gabavics served as chief investigator for the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority and told The New York Times that his team’s findings were later removed from official reports.
Gabavics said simulations, communications, and eyewitness evidence all indicated Israeli troops knew journalists were present and that Abu Akleh’s “Press” vest was visible. “It would have been the most absurd thing in the world for it to be accidental,” he said. Despite his insistence, Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, who oversaw the office, allegedly deleted language implicating Israel to maintain ties with its military.
The State Department later issued a statement concluding there was “no reason to believe” the shooting was intentional, calling it a “tragic circumstance” — mirroring Israel’s official findings. Gabavics said he and his colleagues were “flabbergasted” by the decision and accused the liaison office of showing favoritism toward Israel.
Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist for Al Jazeera, was killed while covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank. The FBI opened an investigation in 2022, but its findings were never released.
Sources:
-
U.S. State Department – Unrated (Primary Source)
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
