On Friday, Israeli police charged Palestinian mourners carrying the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh through Jerusalem’s Old City, in an outpouring of grief and outrage over her assassination.

Hundreds of Palestinians, some carrying Palestinian flags and screaming “with our soul and blood we will redeem you Shireen,” gathered behind Abu Akleh’s coffin and began walking toward the gates of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

In an apparent attempt to prevent them from carrying the coffin on foot rather than by car, Israeli police officers stormed through the courtyard gates and charged towards the crowd, with some striking pallbearers with batons and kicking them.

The party carrying the coffin backed up into a wall and almost dropped the casket, only to retrieve it just before stun grenades detonated on one end.

The brief violent events contributed to Palestinian indignation over Abu Akleh’s death, which has threatened to spark violence that has been on the rise since March.

On Wednesday, Abu Akleh was shot while reporting on an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank. He has been covering Palestinian politics and the Middle East for more than two decades.

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The killing of Abu Akleh was regarded by Palestinian sources as an assassination by Israeli forces. Initially, Israel’s government said Palestinian gunfire was to blame, but officials later said they couldn’t rule out Israeli gunfire.

The police’s actions were criticised by Qatar and Al Jazeera. The scenes were described as “extremely distressing” by UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, and US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed her “great sorrow” by the images, while the EU expressed its outrage.

Abu Akleh’s casket was placed in a vehicle that travelled for the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Jerusalem’s Walled Old City, where the funeral ritual proceeded calmly, just minutes after police intervened.

As the casket was taken to the Mount Zion Cemetery nearby, crowds of Palestinians crowded the small streets of the Old City.

Wreaths were placed on her tomb, and the Palestinian flag was draped over the grave cross as mourners paid their respects to Abu.

“We’ve here to demand that justice be served. Shireen Abu Akleh deserves justice, as does Palestine “One mourner, who did not wish to be named by name, said