Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in the West Bank Wednesday, the network said.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said she was shot in the head by a live bullet in Jenin, and confirmed her death shortly afterwards. A second journalist, Ali Al-Samudi, was also shot and is in a stable condition, the ministry said.

Al Jazeera accused Israeli security forces of killing Akleh, saying: “Israeli forces shot Shireen Abu Akleh in the head while she was on assignment in Jenin.”

The Israel Defense Forces said its security forces had been operating in the area “to arrest suspects in terrorist activities,” and both Palestinian suspects and Israeli forces were firing at the time.

“As part of the activity in the Jenin refugee camp, suspects fired heavily at the force and threw explosives. The force responded by firing. Hits were detected,” the IDF said.

“The possibility that journalists were hit, possibly by Palestinian gunfire, is being investigated,” the IDF added.

Shireen Abu Akleh was covering Israeli raids on Jenin in the occupied West Bank [File: Al Jazeera] (CNN)