Abu Akleh,  a widely respected Palestinian on-air  correspondent who spent a quarter century covering the harsh realities of life under Israeli military rule, was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday.

Abu Akleh was a widely respected on-air correspondent who spent a quarter century covering the harsh realities of life under Israeli military rule, which is well into its sixth decade with no end in sight.

Abu Akleh's fellow journalist Ali Al-Samoudi was also injured in the incident.

The statement, which is open to additional signatories, reads that the Egyptian journalists "express their strong condemnation of the full-fledged crime of the Zionist occupation forces, which resulted in the martyrdom of Palestinian journalist Sherine Abu Akleh and the injury of her fellow journalist Ali Al-Samoudi while they were performing their duty covering the bloody raid into Jenin."

The signatories affirmed their solidarity with their colleagues in Palestine in face of the crimes of the occupation against them and the Palestinian people, the statement added.

The signatories also sent their condolences to the family and colleagues of Abu Akleh and all the journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories.

They demanded the international community and all institutions concerned with freedom of the press "investigate the killing of Abu Akleh, the attack on the headquarters of more than 23 media outlets, and all the crimes of the Israeli occupation against journalists and the Palestinian people as being war crimes against humanity."

On Wednesday, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate condemned Abu Akleh’s “assassination by the Israeli occupation forces while performing her journalistic duties.”

In an official statement, the syndicate urged the international community and relevant international organisations to hold the Israeli state accountable for Abu Akleh’s death.

It also urged opening an expanded international investigation into Israel's repeated violations against Palestinian journalists, calling for relevant United Nations bodies to protect Palestinian journalists from the aggression of the Israeli forces.

The syndicate stressed support for the journalists working in the occupied Palestinian lands, hailing them as “the world’s eye on the truth regarding what is happening in Palestine,” urging them to exercise caution while performing their duty.

The statement stressed the need to maintain adherence to the previously adopted decisions by the General Assembly of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate's that condemn the Israeli crimes and ban all forms of personal, professional and union normalisation with Israel.

Abu Akleh's name has been trending across social media worldwide, with a great deal of supporters condemning the attack against her.