“We will not hand over the bullet that killed Abu Aqleh to the occupation and we have agreed that the Americans will conduct a forensic examination of the bullet,” Khatib told reporters. The bullet will be examined at the US embassy in Jerusalem, Khatib told CNN. The Palestinians have received “guarantees” from the US that the bullet “will not be handed over to Israel”, he said. The US embassy did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. The Israel Defense Forces said it had no public comment yet. A forensic investigation into the bullet could potentially allow for an official determination of who killed Abu Akleh. The Israeli military says it is unclear who fired the fatal shot. In a preliminary investigation, the military said there was a possibility that Abu Akleh was hit either by indiscriminate Palestinian fire or by an Israeli sniper who was about 200 meters (about 656 feet) away in an exchange of fire with Palestinian gunmen — though neither Neither Israel nor anyone else has provided evidence showing armed Palestinians in a clear line of fire from Abu Akleh. The Palestinian Authority says there were no militants in the area and an Israeli soldier deliberately targeted it. Al Jazeera decried her death as “flagrant murder” by Israeli forces. At least five journalistic investigations, including one by CNN, have indicated that the fatal shot came from a position where Israeli troops were known to be. None of the searches found evidence of Palestinian fighters near Abu Akleh when he was shot. Abu Akleh covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for two decades and was beloved across the region for her fearless reporting. She was given a state funeral at the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah. Palestinians — along with journalists, human rights activists and other leaders — around the world continue to demand accountability for her murder.
