Occupied East Jerusalem– The noise of hymns and the odor of incense filled the chapel where numerous individuals collected for a memorial mass to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
The service, arranged by her friends and family, was at the al-Liqaa Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the Beit Hanina area in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday.
“The bullet that eliminated her left all of us in discomfort and altered our whole lives,” Linah Abu Akleh, Shireen’s niece, informed Al Jazeera at the church.
“One year on, our household is still defending justice. One year on, we are still in discomfort over this overwhelming loss,” she stated.
A big picture of Shireen rested on a table lined with white roses, candle lights and crosses at the head of the chapel as the congregants honoured her and wished her soul.
Priests and ministers used communion to mourners and surrounded her image with incense, to symbolise prayers for her increasing to paradise.
Family name
Shireen was a 51-year-old Palestinian American television reporter for Al Jazeera Arabic and a family name for more than 25 years.
On May 11, one year will have passed considering that she was shot dead by an Israeli soldier while doing her task covering the profession.
She was eliminated while using a plainly significant press vest and helmet, reporting on an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank.
Her killing triggered outrage throughout the world, and especially amongst Arabs and Palestinians.
A year has actually passed, her death stays a deep source of shock and discomfort for lots of who were close to her or who followed her work.
“I’m constantly ready to call her, or text her, or ask her how she is, how’s work and whatever. And after that it strikes me once again that this has actually occurred,” Lareen Abu Akleh, another among Shireen’s nieces, informed Al Jazeera.
Dina Nasser, another pal of Shireen’s who went to the service, stated: “Shireen was a sign for Palestinian ladies and Palestinians.
“She was the voice for the susceptible, the impoverished, the voice for Palestinians and the Palestinian battle”.