Documentary Identifies Israeli Soldier in Abu Akleh Killing

A new documentary from Zeteo News claims to have identified Capt. Alon Scagio (also spelled Sacgiu), a sharpshooter in Israel's Duvdevan commando unit, as the Israeli soldier who killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin in May 2022. Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera reporter, was wearing press markings at the time of her death, which Israeli officials initially blamed on Palestinian militants before later acknowledging an Israeli soldier likely fired the shot by mistake. The documentary's findings are backed by interviews with other soldiers and confirmations from Israeli military officials to The New York Times, though the Israeli Defense Forces officially deny a definitive determination. The film also alleges a US team privately concluded the shooting was intentional, but the Biden administration has continued to call it unintentional. Neither Israel nor the US has taken punitive action or granted access to the shooter, who was later killed in combat. The documentary's revelations have renewed calls for accountability and transparency from both governments.