Palestinians honour slain journalist Abu Akleh in occupied West Bank

The funeral procession of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has taken place in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

It headed from the Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah toward the Palestinian presidency headquarters on Thursday. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas along with top Palestinian officials were present at the memorial service.

Thousands of Palestinians crowded the roads to honour Abu Akleh.

Speaking at the funeral ceremony, Abbas held Israel responsible for the killing of the journalist. 

READ MORE: Calls for probe into killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh grow louder

'Going to the International Criminal Court'

"The occupation will not hide the truth and the crime should not go unpunished," Abbas said.

He also said Palestine will not accept a joint probe with Israel into the killing of Abu Akleh.

"We reject a joint investigation with the Israeli authorities because they are the ones who committed the crime and we do not trust them,” he stated.

Abbas vowed to take the case to the International Criminal Court.

"We will immediately go to the International Criminal Court to punish the criminals," he said.

Praising Abu Akleh, Abbas said she was “an honest and patriotic voice and she conveyed the suffering of Jerusalem and the camps.”

Abu Akleh was decided to be honored with the Star of Jerusalem medal, he said.

Her burial will take place in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday.

Deliberate killing

Abu Akleh was born in Jerusalem in 1971 and over the past two and a half decades, she was one of Al Jazeera’s elite journalists covering the situation across the occupied Palestinian territories.

Al Jazeera accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing its veteran journalist Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, while the Israeli army said that its initial assessments indicated that Abu Akleh was "killed by Palestinian gunmen."

Also, the Palestinian Authority confirmed that Abu Akleh was “shot dead by the Israeli army.” 

READ MORE: Palestinian journalist's killing shines light on media slant