THE MISSION OF the State of Palestine in Ireland is opening a book of condolences for a journalist shot dead during an Israeli army raid yesterday. 

Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead today as she covered the raid for Al Jazeera yesterday. 

The book will be open on Tuesday 17 May from 12-4 pm, and messages of condolence can also be sent by missions to info@palestinemission.ie from now until 5 pm on Wednesday 18 May.

Messages will be compiled and sent to the family of Shireen Abu Akleh.

The UN Human Rights office said yesterday it was “appalled” at the killing of a veteran Al Jazeera reporter in the occupied West Bank and demanded a transparent investigation.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s office said it was on the ground and trying to verify the facts.

“We are appalled at the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin, Palestine,” Bachelet’s office said on Twitter.

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.

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was “likely” that “armed Palestinians – who were indiscriminately firing at the time – were responsible for the unfortunate death of the journalist”.

An AFP photographer reported that Israeli forces were firing in the area and that he then saw Abu Akleh’s body lying on the ground, with no Palestinian gunmen visible at the time.

The Israeli army confirmed it had conducted its latest in a string of military operations in the flashpoint camp but firmly denied it had deliberately targeted a reporter.

With reporting by AFP.