By Alexandra Abumuhor
Palestinian model Bella Hadid shared tribute to late Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.
The 25-year-old took to her Instagram account to share multiple posts mourning the loss of the famous journalist, and shared clips of her funeral.
Hadid expressed her sadness and anger, as the journalist was killed in cold blood while reporting on a raid of the West Bank city of Jenin by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
In the first post, Hadid posted a series of pictures, one that featured Shireen behind the camera, while another is a series of short clips where she is concluding her reports while covering stories.
Other snaps from Bella's first post showed Israelis assaulting the people carrying her coffin.
The model posted a lengthy caption to the post: ''Shireen dedicated her life to exposing Israeli military violence, and it is ultimately what killed her. She revealed Israel’s policy of letting its soldiers get away with murder which is currently leading it to fabricate lies about her own targeted assassination.''
''And she did all of this in an incredibly hostile, biased, dishonest media landscape that reports Israel’s lies as facts and erases Palestinians’ truths, now, including the truth of her own killing.'' She added.
''@nytimes, @apnews, and the entirety of Israeli and Western media: face facts. Multiple eyewitness accounts tell us an Israeli sniper directly targeted Shireen while she was covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp. She was wearing a press vest and a helmet, and the sniper shot her with extreme precision, near her ear, where the helmet didn’t cover.'' she wrote.
Bella then explained that Abu Aqleh's death was targeted: 'This was a targeted assassination. The sniper’s murder of Shireen is part of a larger pattern of Israel eliminating Palestinian journalists, the people who speak truth to power and expose Israel’s crimes to the world. Since 2000, the Israeli military has murdered 55 Palestinian journalists, whom it views as being “armed with cameras” (as military spokesperson Ran Kochav said of Shireen today).''
''The Israeli sniper killed Shireen not despite her being a journalist, but precisely because she is one. We call for justice for Shireen, as we do with ALL murdered Palestinians, by demanding the US government end its $3.8 billion in annual funding to the Israeli military. Like Omar Asad, an elderly Palestinian whose egregious murder by the Israeli military was gravely misreported by the same news outlets earlier this year, Shireen is an American citizen. The Biden administration cannot ignore this — and we won’t let them. ''
''As Congresswoman @Rashidatlaib said, “@POTUS, whether you’re Palestinian, American or not, being killed with U.S. funding must stop.”
The model ended the caption of the post with a quote from the deceased. 'I chose journalism to be close to people. It may not be easy to change the reality, but at least I was able to make that voice heard in the world.” - Shireen Abu Akleh”
Minutes later Bella posted a picture with the news of the 51-year-old's death, with a short synopsis, Hadid's caption read: ''Repost from @aljazeeraenglish • Shireen Abu Akleh: A trailblazer who gave voice to Palestinians. . Al Jazeera’s Abu Akleh was a brave and kind journalist with an infectious laugh who was devoted to telling stories about ordinary Palestinians.''
''A native of Jerusalem and a citizen of the United States, Abu Akleh, 51, is survived by her brother, Tony Abu Akleh. . Friends and colleagues described Abu Akleh as a brave and kind reporter with an “infectious laugh” who gave voice to the struggles of Palestinians over a career spanning nearly three decades.''
''“Our loss is so huge,” said Nida Ibrahim, an Al Jazeera correspondent and colleague of Abu Akleh’s in the occupied West Bank. “She was kind, dedicated and devoted. She knew the story through and through and she understood the nuances. She brought a wealth of information to her reporting.”''
Bella kept fighting for Shireen's name, as she continued sharing videos proving Israeli police attacking mourners and Shireen's coffin. 'This is Occupation'' Hadid wrote.
''This is the kind of torture and abuse Palestinians face at the hands of the Israeli military occupation. No matter who you are , how can you watch this¬ scream in rage and cry painful tears?How can you not see your mother, father, grandfather, sister, brother, in the eyes of our people?! Why can’t you see?''
She added: Not only to watch a veteran like Shireen be disrespected& thrown around like this,on her way from the hospital to the church, for the last time to Rest in Peace. But also to watch our mourning elderly and people be slammed around, pushed down, scared for their lives. !! I lay here feeling helpless and there are people really sitting behind their computer screens trying to validate this! Make excuses for it even! ! There is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR. Especially on the most HOLY land in the world !''
''What kind of a threat is people mourning a loved one? This is a funeral procession to lay a Palestinian veteran& legend to rest. Beyond anything she is a human being. Shireen’s life as a Palestinian journalist has always been a threat to them , dead or alive. Although, we are never failed to be reminded that our existence as Palestinians is a threat in general, journalist or not. She had no weapons , showed no violence, just a camera. In return? A sniper bullet to the head. &repetitive shots at anyone who tried to help revive her.''
''What do you have to hide that you continue to kill our journalists? That says enough about this military system, their government& the geo-political game they pawn their people off to.''
''This is the reality of what the IDF & the occupation means for Palestinians. While mourning the loss of Shireen, Israeli forces try their best to silence mourners w abuse, batons, tear gas, below the belt kicks and more violence. As if they don’t try to control enough, they want to control Palestinian emotions, voices, losses,& grief, in addition to the rest of their existence.''
''“This video of a Palestinian man using one hand to hold up Shireen’s coffin and the other to protect his head from Israeli soldiers attacking speaks to the power and persistence of Palestinian dignity, honor and resistance.-@ahmedeldin''
Finally, Bella posted a 14-second video of Palestinians Peacefully mourning their Beloved Shireen Abu Aqleh.
