Main content

'My friend Shireen Abu Aqla was the sound of courage'

Faten Elwan talks to us about her close friend Shireen Abu Aqla, as she travels in the ambulance with her body back to Ramallah.

UN Secretary General AntΓ³nio Guterres says he is "appalled" by Wednesday's killing of veteran Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. He also called for an independent investigation into her death.

Abu Aqla, 51, died while covering a raid by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Her producer was injured. Al Jazeera said Israeli troops "deliberately" shot her. Israel's prime minister said it was "likely" she was shot by Palestinian gunmen. She was a household name in the Arabic-speaking world, and there's been a huge outpouring of grief and anger from those who watched her reporting and worked with her.

Faten Elwan is a Palestinian journalist who was very close to Shireen - they regarded each other as family. She spoke to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Karnie Sharpe while she was in an ambulance, helping to take herΒ  friend's body back to Ramallah. That's why you'll hear sirens in the background. She started by talking about her final conversation with Shireen.

Photo shows: A Palestinian woman holds a photo of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla, who was shot dead by the Israeli army while covering an army raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, during her funeral in the city of Nablus. Credit: Getty Images

Release date:

Duration:

8 minutes