Micheál Martin has condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, declaring that the safety of journalists must be protected.

The 51-year-old reporter was shot dead while she was covering a raid by Israeli troops in the West Bank’s refugee camp.

The Qatar-based TV channel explained that Israeli forces shot Shireen Abu Akleh, while Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" that Palestinian gunfire killed her.

Micheál Martin said: “I condemn the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the media freedom and the safety of journalists must be protected and as an extra obligation on State forces to ensure the protection of journalists and we express our deepest condolences to her family.”

Mary Lou McDonald also expressed her sympathy towards Ms. Abu Aklah, who was a prominent figure in the channel’s Arabic news service, alongside producer Ali al-Samudi who was wounded in the incident.

“There is a long-established pattern of the Israeli State targeting journalists who are covering the brutal occupation of Palestine. And this systematic targeting has resulted in complaints being filed with the International Criminal Court and with the United Nations,” McDonald said.

This fatal shooting comes nearly a year after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a Gaza building that housed the offices of Al Jazeera and the news agency AP.

Listen to how Shireen described the love she had for her occupation below.

"I was able to convey the people's message and voice."

Not long before her killing by Israeli occupation forces, Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh spoke about her career and what it meant to her to report on the occupation. pic.twitter.com/mUTmXJA9cA

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 11, 2022