Who Killed Shireen Abu Akleh? A Groundbreaking Documentary Unmasks the Israeli Soldier Behind the Fatal Shot

Watan-Who killed Shireen Abu Akleh? That’s the question a new documentary, produced by a team of journalists for the U.S.-based platform Zeteo under journalist Mehdi Hasan, seeks to answer. The film goes beyond analyzing the circumstances of her death and identifies the Israeli soldier who fired the fatal shot during her coverage of a military raid near Jenin.

After months of investigation, Zeteo released one of its most prominent works: “Who Killed Shireen?”, a 40-minute film documenting the killing of the Palestinian-American journalist on May 11, 2022. For the first time, the film names the Israeli soldier who killed her — a name previously kept secret even from top U.S. officials due to Israel’s refusal to disclose it.

The film also unveils a disturbing cover-up by the Biden administration. Former American officials state the U.S. failed to deliver justice for its own citizen to preserve ties with Israel.

Inside the Investigation: How Zeteo Uncovered the Truth About Shireen Abu Akleh’s Killing

It features interviews with former U.S. and Israeli officials, soldiers, and journalists who personally knew Shireen. The film was produced by an award-winning investigative team including:

• Dion Nissenbaum: Award-winning journalist and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee who has covered Jerusalem, Kabul, and Yemen.

• Fatima AbdulKarim: New York Times correspondent based in the occupied Palestinian territories.

• Conor Powell: Podcast host, producer, and founder of District Pier Media.

In a Guardian op-ed, Nissenbaum writes:“You think you know the story of an American citizen killed by Israeli forces, but you probably don’t. Shireen was the voice of Palestine — a veteran reporter who risked her life to cover the occupation. On May 11, 2022, wearing a helmet and a PRESS-labeled vest, she went to cover a military raid in Jenin and never returned. An Israeli soldier shot her in the back of the head. Her death sparked a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Israel.”

Initially, Israel blamed Palestinian gunmen. Four months later, it admitted an Israeli soldier likely killed her — with no accountability. Israel refused to cooperate with an FBI investigation or allow access to the soldier or even reveal his name.

American officials confirmed that this lack of information prevented any human rights determination. That’s when Zeteo’s team stepped in to seek the truth themselves.

Nissenbaum writes:“We revealed that Israel knew from the beginning one of its soldiers likely shot Shireen. Top American officials were told this by the highest-ranking Israeli general in the West Bank just hours after her death.”

The film shows the initial U.S. assessment concluded the soldier fired intentionally despite seeing her PRESS vest — a conclusion the Biden administration later downplayed as a “tragic circumstance.”

Nissenbaum adds:“An Israeli soldier inside an armored vehicle saw Shireen clearly from 200 meters away and shot her on purpose. Even the Israeli military’s internal review found no gunfire or militants nearby.”

‘Who Killed Shireen?’ — our explosive new documentary is finally here.

After a months-long investigation, Zeteo uncovers the hidden identity of the Israeli soldier who killed the famous Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 pic.twitter.com/B04Q6fBz5Z

— Zeteo (@zeteo_news) May 8, 2025

Named and Buried: The Soldier Who Killed Shireen and Israel’s War on Journalism

The documentary confirms the killer: Alon Skagiu, an Israeli soldier later killed in a separate clash in Jenin. He had quietly been transferred to another unit and was buried as a hero, though fellow soldiers resented the fallout — some even used Shireen’s image for target practice.

A fellow soldier said:“If someone points anything at you, even a camera, it’s enough reason to shoot.”

This isn’t new. In 2002, Boston Globe journalist Anthony Shadid was shot by an Israeli sniper despite wearing a PRESS vest. In 2008, Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana was killed by a tank shell while holding what Israel claimed was a “weapon” — later shown to be a camera. In 2023, journalist Issam Abdullah was killed by an Israeli tank round in southern Lebanon.

While Israel claims it doesn’t target journalists intentionally, its stance changed after the October 7, 2023 attack. It began targeting media workers it labels as “war propagandists.” As Colonel Nadav Shoshani put it:

“A vest labeled ‘PRESS’ doesn’t turn a terrorist into a journalist.”

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Israel has killed over 175 journalists since October 7, 2023, making it the deadliest country for reporters — with two-thirds of journalist deaths in 2024 occurring in Gaza.

Since Shireen’s killing, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least six more U.S. citizens with no accountability. Senator Chris Van Hollen commented that Netanyahu is essentially “flipping the middle finger at Washington” over these cases.

Israeli repression of Palestinian media continues. Ali al-Samoudi, Shireen’s producer, was shot by the same soldier. In the film, he says:

“From the moment Shireen was killed, I’ve said the bullet was meant to silence Palestinian journalism.”

Al-Samoudi was later arrested in April, accused of links to Islamic Jihad without evidence, beaten, shackled in the hospital, and remains imprisoned.

While Washington failed to identify the killer, Zeteo succeeded. But his death makes uncovering motives difficult — unless the Israeli military releases his confession. Congress may now summon witnesses to explain why U.S. investigators reversed their conclusion.

Unless Israel changes how it treats journalists, many more — Palestinian and American alike — may fall to the bullets of an unaccountable army.