Israeli forces assault mourners carrying Abu Akleh's coffin at funeral

Israeli police officers had commenced “beating and kicking mourners” at the funeral procession in the occupied East Jerusalem, thereby “forcing pallbearers to nearly drop the coffin”.

Television footage showed pallbearers struggling to stop Abu Akleh’s coffin from falling to the ground as baton-wielding Israeli police charged towards the mourners.

Israeli forces seized Palestinian flags from mourners and later smashed the window of the hearse carrying Abu Akleh’s body and removed a Palestinian flag.

The shocking scenes at the funeral, and the murder of the 51-year-old Palestinian-American journalist, drew worldwide condemnation and calls for investigations, including the United Nations.

The attack on the funeral added to a sense of grief and outrage that has followed the death of Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist and a household name across the Arab world.

The White House was muted in its response, as it stopped short of condemning Israeli action. 

In a rare, unanimous statement, the UN Security Council condemned the killing, calling for “an immediate, thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation”, diplomats said.

Al Jazeera has said Abu Akleh was “assassinated in cold blood”. She had been wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest marked “Press” as she was covering the Israeli military operation in Jenin.