Middle East mourns Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh with art and protest

A memorial was held in the Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday to mourn the death of veteran Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

The reporter, who had covered the plight of the Palestinians for more than 25 years, was shot dead on Wednesday in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank town of Jenin.

As thousands gathered in Ramallah to mark her death, others in the region paid tribute in the forms of art and protest.

Gaza

Gazans paid tribute to the veteran reporter with a giant sand sculpture featuring her name in Arabic. A photograph of Abu Akleh was placed above.

Elsewhere in the enclave, a huge mural dedicated to Abu Akleh was created by Palestinian artists. It featured a painting of her and a bloodied press helmet. Abu Akleh was clearly identified as a member of the press when she was killed.

Palestinian artists paint a mural in honour of Shireen Abu Akleh in Gaza city. AFP

Syria

Syrian journalists and activists also painted a mural of Abu Akleh in Idlib and gathered nearby to pay their respects.

The reporter, 51, was well-known as a veteran on-air correspondent for Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language channel. Her reporting shed light on the harsh realities of Israeli military rule, which is well into its sixth decade with no end in sight. Abu Akleh was also a US citizen.

Doha

In Doha, where Abu Akleh's employer Al Jazeera has its headquarters, the Foster + Partners Lusail Towers were lit up with her image and a Palestinian flag. Qatar's deputy foreign minister said on Twitter that the nation "condemns in the strongest terms [the journalist's] assassination by Israeli occupation forces".

Turkey

Egyptian journalist Ibrahim El-Masry holds up his camera as he stands next to a placard with a picture of Shireen Abu Akleh, during a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. Reuters

Journalists in Turkey demonstrated outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday after the killing of their colleague. Turkey has called for an independent investigation into her death.

Lebanon

Palestinians held a symbolic funeral for Abu Akleh in Lebanon's Ain Helwah refugee camp, near Sidon.

Jenin

In Jenin, where Abu Akleh was killed, Palestinians left flowers and farewell notes. Journalists who were with her, including one who was shot and wounded, said Israeli forces fired upon them, even though they were clearly identifiable as reporters.

Israeli officials had initially suggested Abu Akleh was struck by militant fire and released a video showing gunmen shooting at Israeli forces in a narrow alley inside the Jenin refugee camp. They later backtracked after an Israeli human rights group released its own video indicating that the site of that shooting was several hundred metres from where Abu Akleh was killed.

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