The US Justice Department has informed the Israeli Justice Ministry that the FBI has opened an investigation into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in May during an Israeli raid on Jenin, in the West Bank.

This was reported by five informed sources to the American site Axios. 

Israel has confirmed that the US government has launched an investigation into the shooting that claimed the life of the Al Jazeera reporter, condemning the investigation as a "grave mistake" and saying it will not cooperate.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz released a statement on Twitter saying that

Israel has made it clear to the US "that we will not cooperate with any outside investigation.

"

Palestinian officials, Abu Akleh's family and Al Jazeera accuse Israel of intentionally targeting the 51-year-old journalist, who was wearing a helmet and protective vest marked with the word "press" when she was killed last May.

Shireen Abu Akleh, a journalist for over twenty years for Al Jazeera, was respected by all who knew her, even in the Israeli news media.

On May 11, you were covering an Israeli army operation in a refugee camp

in the Jenin region, in the northern West Bank.

According to other journalists present at the scene, Shireen was not caught in the crossfire, as can happen in conflict zones.

The journalist was allegedly targeted and shot in the head. 

The Israeli army immediately claimed, even before an investigation was conducted, that the shots came from the Palestinian side.

This thesis was denied by the other journalists on the spot, according to whom there would have been no shooting on the Palestinian side at the time.

Israeli officials said the Palestinian Authority had rejected the offer to conduct a joint investigation.

The information was denied by a spokesman for Abu Mazen, president of the Palestinian Authority, according to whom no offer was made.

Abu Mazen accused Israel of "murdering" Shireen Abu Akleh

. 

After these tense exchanges there were calls for a thorough investigation, especially from the United States.

The journalist, born in Jerusalem, had a US passport.

Associations for the defense of press freedom are calling for an international investigation

that is not entrusted solely to the Israeli army.

Reporters Without Borders believes that there may have been a violation of the Geneva Convention and a Security Council resolution on the protection of journalists.